


Captain's Log

by Midnight_Queen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because I'm in denial about season 6, But also they're mutual dumbasses, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Found Family, Gen, I'm hesitant to tag this as Lotor Deserved Better because I am NOT here for discourse but..., Minor Character Death, Multi, Voltron refused to give us lore so I'm doing it myself, tags will be updated as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 50
Words: 114,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21746497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Queen/pseuds/Midnight_Queen
Summary: “Hold up! All of you!” Isabelle called, shaking herself from her shock. Hunk turned to look at her as Pidge and Lance skidded to a stop at the stairs.“You think I’m just going to let three cadets investigate an alien spacecraft?” She asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at each of them in turn. “No, definitely not.”Hunk sighed, though Isabelle wasn’t sure if it was a sigh of resignation or relief. Lance sputtered in disbelief, and Pidge shifted on his feet, looking like he was about to protest.“Let me rephrase…You think I’m going to let three cadets investigate an alien spacecraft alone?” Isabelle felt a slow grin spread across her face. “Absolutely not. I’m going with you. Meet me at the main gate in two minutes or less. And whatever you do, don’t get caught.”
Relationships: Eventually. Can you say slow burn everyone?, Lotor (Voltron)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 75
Kudos: 194





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle sat curled up on a couch in the Galaxy Garrison’s instructors’ lounge, drumming her fingers against her leg. Her green eyes followed the small blinking circle of the loading screen as she waited impatiently for her laptop to boot up. _Can it sense that I’m in a rush? Come on, hurry up. Please? I haven’t heard from Juan Carlos since this morning and—_ Her train of thought was interrupted as the backdrop of her home page lit up her screen.

She grinned, practiced fingers rapidly entering her password. Isabelle held her breath, biting her bottom lip as she opened the only unread message in her inbox. Just as she hoped, it was from her older brother, Juan Carlos. Isabelle grinned, covering her mouth with one hand as she opened the attached pictures. They showed a woman with dark auburn hair in a hospital bed, looking simultaneously exhausted and elated, holding a tiny bundle of pink blankets. The message read _Victoria’s a champ and she’s doing just fine now! Your niece, Annalisa, is also perfectly healthy! 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Doctor says we can leave probably some time tomorrow._ A breathless, joyful laugh escaped Isabelle as she waved her free hand rapidly in the air.

“What’s going on, _Captain?_ You want to share the good news?”

Isabelle jumped slightly, looking over her shoulder to see Lieutenant Mitch Daniels leaning on the back of the couch. He looked at her curiously, raising a dark eyebrow. Isabelle grinned widely.

“I’m an aunt! My brother’s wife had the baby earlier tonight, and I was worried all day because the last message I got from him was early this morning saying that Victoria was going into labor and they were heading to the hospital. But! Everything is fine! Victoria’s healthy, the baby is healthy. I have a niece!” Isabelle exclaimed, turning in her seat so Mitch could see her screen. Mitch grinned, leaning farther over the back of the couch.

“That’s great! I’m so happy for you! Congrats on your second promotion this week, _Captain,”_ Mitch said, smiling mischievously. Isabelle gave a short laugh and rolled her eyes. “What’s her name? Is she going to call you Captain too now, or auntie? Or both?” Mitch laughed. “What sounds better, Captain Auntie or Aunt Captain?”

“Say _captain_ again, Mitch. I dare you.” Isabelle groaned, shaking her head. “Besides, we don’t use aunt in my family. We say _t_ _í_ _a_ or _titi_. It means aunt in Spanish, and _titi_ is a more affectionate term. Similar to how some people say Auntie,” she explained. Mitch nodded.

“I gotcha, Captain—”

“Mitch, I swear if you call me captain one more time today, I’m going to use my newly appointed rank to make you drop and give me twenty every time you utter the word,” Isabelle said, straightening her back to be eye level with her friend. She pressed her lips tightly together, but the playful look in her eyes belied her suddenly imposing stance.

“Twenty push-ups, or twenty dollars?” Mitch snickered.

“Both,” Isabelle answered immediately. “Twenty push-ups, and then twenty bucks for every time you say captain to me.”

“I’m too broke for that,” Mitch replied.

They both laughed softly, falling silent. Isabelle sent a delighted reply to her brother’s message, while Mitch moved around the couch to sit near her. After another moment, Isabelle closed her laptop and stretched her legs out in front of her, lifting her arms overhead. Mitch raised his eyebrows slightly. He forgot sometimes how _tall_ the captain was. When she stretched out fully, it hit him all of a sudden that Isabelle had a good two inches on him—and Mitch was not short.

“Alright, I think I’m going to call it a night,” Isabelle announced, yawning as if to punctuate the sentence. “Good night, Mitch,” she said softly as she tucked her laptop under her arm and stood.

“Good night, Captain!”

Isabelle scoffed, laughing softly as she shook her head and left the instructors’ lounge. On her way back to her dorm, a movement in her peripheral vision caught Isabelle’s attention. She glanced sideways and continued walking, running her free hand through her free hand through her curly hair as she passed where she had seen the movement. A moment after she passed, she heard frantic whispering and two sets of footsteps turning down another hallway. Isabelle quickly doubled back and followed the steps. _Probably cadets out of bed after curfew_ , she thought. _But what are they doing?_

Isabelle followed the pair up to the roof. She lingered near the door, out of sight, as the two cadets wandered out. Another cadet was seated closer to the edge of the roof, alternating between looking up at the stars and a monitor on the ground. The three spoke among themselves for a few moments, but Isabelle frowned, quickly noting that she was too far away to make out their conversation. She soon recognized one of the cadets by the sound of his voice. Lance McClain; he was fighter class pilot in the flight training class she was helping Commander Stevens with. Isabelle did not recognize the other two immediately, but she was fairly certain they were all in her combat training classes.

“Stop touching my equipment!” the shortest cadet yelled, the one who had been looking at the stars. Isabelle sighed, pushing off the wall and walking out onto the roof.

“What I’d like to know is what you’re even using that equipment for,” Isabelle stated, approaching the trio. “And why it’s got all three of you out on the rooftop after curfew.”

All three cadets jumped and turned toward Isabelle. The tall boy who had just been scolded sat up straight, opening and closing his mouth, floundering for something to say. The shorter boy wore glasses and had light brown, chin length hair. He shifted to block his monitor from Isabelle’s line of sight, looking away. Lance grinned awkwardly, gesturing with his arms for a few seconds before settling his hands on his hips.

“Captain Rivera! Fancy seeing you up here, huh? What brings you out here on such a fine night?” he asked. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“A couple of cadets who should probably learn how to whisper better and walk more quietly if they plan on sneaking out regularly,” she replied, looking pointedly at Lance, then at the taller boy still sitting on the ground, before giving a small smile. He wore a yellow headband, and groaned slightly at Isabelle’s words. He had longer, darker hair than Lance. _Hunk! That’s it! His name is Hunk, and the other one is Pidge. These three are meant to be a team._ Isabelle remembered.

“We’re really sorry, Captain Rivera! We’ll uh…We were all headed back to bed right now, right guys?” Hunk asked, making to stand. Isabelle shook her head, still smiling and motioning for him to sit back down.

“Don’t worry about that for right now. I want to know what all of this equipment is for first. Because if Pidge is out here doing brilliant science things, I _might_ not have to write you up,” Isabelle offered, smiling. She then turned her attention to Pidge.

“I-uh…I—” Pidge sighed, taking a deep breath. “I’ve been scanning the solar system with these devices. They can scan to the edges of the system, all the way to Kerberos. I…Respectfully, Captain, I know the Kerberos mission wasn’t lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake. So, I’ve been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter.”

Isabelle raised her eyebrows, opening and closing her mouth for a moment. _If not malfunction or crew error, what happened to the Kerberos mission? What happened to Shiro? Wait, aliens?_ Her mind raced at the sudden wave of possibilities. If Pidge’s hypothesis proved true, it could change everything about how the Garrison approached astro-exploration. It could change the world as they knew it.

“Wait what? Aliens?” Hunk asked.

“Okay, I’m definitely not writing you up anymore,” Isabelle murmured.

“Okay, so you’re insane. Got it,” Lance said sarcastically.

“I’m serious; they keep repeating one word. Voltron,” Pidge explained, holding up a notepad with a drawing on it. Isabelle stepped closer to see. The drawing showed what looked like a robot, using a flaming sword to fight some kind of alien monster. The word “Voltron” was written at the top, underlined intensely. “And tonight, it’s going crazier than I have _ever_ heard it.”

“How crazy?” Lance asked. Before Pidge could reply, a voice came over the loud speakers, effectively interrupting the conversation. Isabelle turned her head slightly towards the sound, her mind still reeling with the information Pidge has given them.

“Attention students! This is not a drill! We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner! Repeat: All students are to remain in barracks until further notice!”

Suddenly, all three cadets turned to Isabelle. Zulu Niner was the highest security situation she had ever witnessed in her time at the Galaxy Garrison. She took a deep breath. This alert, combined with Pidge’s speech about alien radio chatter, set Isabelle on edge. Isabelle, however, could not afford to entertain her anxiety at that moment. She was the ranking officer of this group; these cadets were her students, and her responsibility in this emergency.

“What’s going on?” Hunk asked as he stood, looking out over the horizon. “Is that a meteor?”

Isabelle looked up to follow where Hunk pointed his arm. Her eyes widened in alarm. Something had entered the atmosphere, and was burning up in a bright orange fireball as it hurtled towards the planet. It was too big to be a meteor, however, and Pidge’s warning about aliens sprang to the forefront of Isabelle’s mind.

“A very very _big_ meteor?” Hunk asked again, still pointing. Pidge grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked up at the fireball.

“I don’t think so,” Isabelle stated, moving forward to pull the cadets back from the edge of the roof. “Back up, we should all get inside.”

“It’s a ship!” Pidge exclaimed. Isabelle gave a short, shell-shocked laugh. Lance immediately grabbed the binoculars from Pidge, looking for himself.

“Holy crow! I can’t believe what I’m seeing! That’s not one of ours!” he shouted. Isabelle bit her lip for a moment before nudging Lance and gesturing for the binoculars. This she had to see for herself.

“Unbelievable. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Isabelle whispered as she stared, wide-eyed, through the binoculars at the sky. There was indeed a ship burning up in their atmosphere, but it was entirely foreign to her. The ship was small, made of dark metal, with wider, stouter wings than any Earth shuttle. Bright lights glowed on the outside of the spacecraft. _Aliens! Holy shit aliens are real and they’re coming here._ Isabelle thought frantically. _We have no training for this! We’re a space force that literally has not trained for first contact. Oh my god we’re all going to die._

“No,” Pidge said, voice tinged with awe. “It’s one of _theirs._ ”

“So, wait, there really are aliens out there?” Hunk asked.

The four of them watched in stunned silence as the alien ship crashed into the ground, not at all far from the main gates of the Garrison compound. _Far enough, but still too close for comfort_. Isabelle thought as the ground shook under her with the force of the ship’s explosive impact.

“We gotta see that ship!” Pidge exclaimed, looking excitedly at Lance. Lance nodded in agreement, and the pair ran for the stairs.

“Hunk, come on!” Lance called. Hunk slumped his shoulders.

“This is the worst team-building exercise ever,” he grumbled.

“Hold up! All of you!” Isabelle called, shaking herself from her shock. Hunk turned to look at her as Pidge and Lance skidded to a stop at the stairs.

“You think I’m just going to let three cadets investigate an alien spacecraft?” She asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at each of them in turn. “No, definitely not.”

Hunk sighed, though Isabelle wasn’t sure if it was a sigh of resignation or relief. Lance sputtered in disbelief, and Pidge shifted on his feet, looking like he was about to protest.

“Let me rephrase…You think I’m going to let three cadets investigate an alien spacecraft _alone?”_ Isabelle felt a slow grin spread across her face. “Absolutely not. I’m going with you. Meet me at the main gate in two minutes or less. And whatever you do, don’t get caught.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

After Isabelle left Hunk, Pidge, and Lance, she rushed back to her dorm. She felt her heart pounding in her chest with every step. _Where did that ship come from? How did it get here? Why here of all places? What are we going to do? If Pidge is right and aliens are real…Could it mean that the Kerberos mission was attacked? What happens then? Would any of them still be alive?_ Isabelle’s mind raced, panicked thoughts swirling around one another.

Immediately upon entering her room, Isabelle grabbed the emergency go-bag she always kept and quickly stuffed her phone, laptop, and respective chargers into the bag. She sighed deeply, forcing herself not to open and check whether she had all her other essentials in her bag. Both Isabelle and her brother had picked up the anxious habit of keeping an emergency go-bag from their mother, and Isabelle had checked her own bag every morning for the last ten years. Everything was there, she only had to trust herself. She nodded to herself, steeling her resolve, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hurriedly tied her dark brown hair into a disorganized bun as she left her room for the main gate.

* * *

Isabelle, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance sat on a rocky outcrop at the top of the canyon where the alien ship had crashed. The area below was swarming with guards and other Garrison personnel, they had set up a temporary dome as a base of operations, and the alien ship had been secured to what looked like a massive flatbed of a truck. Isabelle crouched down, observing the scene. Pidge had set up one of his computers, and Lance was looking through the binoculars.

“Whoa! What the heck is that?” Lance asked, looking more closely at the alien ship. Isabelle shrugged. Up close, it was even stranger to look at. It did not resemble any spacecraft Isabelle had seen or flown at the Garrison, and parts of it still glowed faintly. “And who the heck is she?”

Lance had turned his attention to one of the women guards. Isabelle rolled her eyes, and Pidge smacked Lance before Isabelle had the chance to comment. She smirked, making eye contact with Pidge quickly and giving a short nod of approval.

“Right. Alien ship.” Lance said, refocusing. “Man, we’ll never get past all those guards to take a look,” he complained.

“Aw man,” Hunk agreed. “I guess there’s nothing to do but head back to the barracks, right?” he suggested, standing to leave. Isabelle turned to watch him go.

“Wait!” Pidge exclaimed. “They set up a camera in there, and I grabbed its feed. Look!” he gestured to his monitor. Isabelle whirled back around, and the four crowded around to watch the screen.

Shiro was inside the temporary dome, restrained on what looked like an examination table. Garrison personnel in hazard suits busied themselves around him, trying to calm him down. Isabelle gasped. _He’s alive. Shiro is alive. He survived whatever happened on that mission. How? How did he get back to Earth? How did he get that ship? **Where** did he get that ship? _She wondered.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Shiro asked, struggling against the restraints.

“Calm down, Shiro,” Commander Iverson told him. “We just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests on you.”

“ _Calm down_ ,” Isabelle scoffed. “Calm down, he says to the man who probably just stole and crashed an alien ship to get back to his home planet after a year of being stuck in space,” she muttered. Hunk murmured in agreement next to her.

“You have to listen to me!” Shiro pleaded. “They destroy worlds! Aliens are coming!”

“That’s Shiro!” Lance said, pointing at Shiro’s image on the monitor. “The pilot of the Kerberos Mission!” Isabelle made a small noise of approval.

“We were in the academy together,” she said softly. “He’s one of my closest friends in the Garrison. He was top pilot in our class for a little over a year until I caught up and passed him,” she added. Lance stood and turned quickly to face her.

“Wait, really? That guy’s my hero!” he exclaimed. Isabelle smiled brightly at him.

“I guess he’s not dead in space after all,” Hunk commented.

“Where’s the rest of the crew?” Pidge wondered, still intently focused on the monitor. The group refocused on the camera feed as Commander Iverson spoke again.

“Do you know how long you’ve been gone?” he asked Shiro.

“I don’t know. Months? Years? Look, there’s no _time_ ,” Shiro said urgently. “Aliens are coming here for a _weapon_. They’re probably on their way. They’ll destroy us. We have to find Voltron!”

“Voltron!” Pidge echoed. Isabelle, Lance, and Hunk exchanged worried looks with each other, shuffling to get closer to the monitor to see the rest of the exchange. _What even is Voltron? What does it have to do with the aliens Shiro’s talking about? Are they the same ones Pidge has been listening to radio chatter from? What about this weapon—Is that Voltron?_ Isabelle snapped out of her thoughts as she saw someone in the dome approach Shiro with a syringe.

“No! There’s no time!” Shiro shouted.

“They didn’t ask about the rest of the crew,” Pidge said softly, sounding dejected.

“What are they doing? He’s a legend, and they’re not even going to listen to him?” Lance asked.

Isabelle weighed her options for a moment. She had a sudden, desperate urge to storm the dome and save her friend, now that she knew he was alive. Clearly the Garrison was not going to take his warning seriously, either. Shiro’s story was corroborated by Pidge’s research. It all meant _something_ , and Isabelle was not about to let them ignore the possible threat of an alien invasion… _But if I go in there now, they’d catch both of us. Shiro would be quarantined and sedated, and I would probably get kicked out of the Garrison. Assuming we got out of there alive. Assuming I even make it to the dome. And what about these three?_ She wondered, looking at the three cadets.

“We have to get him out,” she said, at the same time as Pidge. “We have to save him,” Isabelle continued. She and Pidge locked eyes and nodded in grim, determined understanding. 

“Uh, I hate to be the voice of reason, as always and no disrespect to Captain Rivera, but weren’t we just watching on T.V. because there was _no way_ to get past the guards?” Hunk asked, standing up and gesturing around them at the small pop-up base.

“That was before we were properly motivated,” Lance replied. Isabelle smirked. “We just gotta think. Could we tunnel in?” Lance asked.

“How? We have nothing to dig with,” Isabelle pointed out. “And that would take time we apparently don’t have.”

“Maybe we could get some hazmat suits and sneak in like med techs,” Pidge suggested. 

“Or we dress up like cooks, head back to the dorms, sneak into the commissary—little late-night snack,” Hunk said.

“Fair enough, you can’t just plan a prison break on an empty stomach,” Isabelle replied. Hunk narrowed his eyes at her. She smirked back at him.

“No, what we need is a distraction,” Lance said. As if on cue, an explosion sounded from somewhere beyond the pop-up base. Everyone screamed, and Isabelle grimaced at the sound.

“Is that the aliens? Is that the aliens? Are they here? They got here so _quick_ ,” Hunk said rapidly, his hands on his head.

“No, those explosions were a distraction. For him!” Pidge yelled, pointing towards a figure moving in on a one-man hovercraft. “The Garrison’s headed towards the blast, and he’s sneaking in from the other side.”

“It’s not a bad plan, if you have the resources to make it work,” Isabelle commented. She quickly got to her feet, shouldering her bad. “Let’s move in. I’m pretty sure whoever that is, he wants the same thing we do.”

“Aye, aye, Captain! Yeah, no way am I going to let him beat us there, that guy is always trying to one-up me!” Lance said, rushing off. Isabelle took off after him, quickly catching up and passing him, and only grumbling slightly about the joke.

“Who is it?” Hunk called after them.

“Keith!” Lance yelled.

“Are you sure?” Hunk asked.

“Oh, I’d recognize that mullet anywhere!” Lance yelled as he and Isabelle continued to climb down the side of the canyon towards the dome. Isabelle laughed.

“Who’s Keith?” Pidge asked, running to catch up with them.

Isabelle slowed for a moment, reaching out an arm to pull Pidge along to the steep side of the rock face. The four slid down a steep section to the ground, and Isabelle swung her legs forward, pushing off with her hands and using the momentum of the slide to take off running towards the base. _Shiro is alive. The whole world thought he was dead for a year, and now he’s **alive** and he’s **here**. I have to help. _

By the time the four of them reached the base, Keith had already gotten there. He’d fought off the guards, and Isabelle sprinted through the now-unguarded entrance to the room. Keith had cut Shiro’s restraints and was helping him stand when Lance pushed past Isabelle into the room.

“Nope! No, no you—No no no. No, you don’t. I’m saving Shiro,” he stammered, moving Shiro’s opposite arm around his own shoulders to support his other side. Isabelle rolled her eyes internally. _Can one of you just save Shiro? We don’t have time for this rivalry bullshit right now._

“Who are you?” Keith asked. Isabelle stared at him for a long moment. She recognized Keith now that she saw him up close. He’d been a fighter pilot in a class she assisted before her promotion. He had flunked out of the academy due to discipline issues. _Not that it matters. We’re all about to have discipline issues if we don’t get out of here._ She thought.

“Who am I? Uh, the name’s _Lance_ ,” Lance responded. Isabelle rolled her eyes as the two began to argue, and ushered Hunk and Pidge back towards the entrance to keep watch.

“Hey! Can you two save the bickering? I _genuinely_ don’t think we have the time right now!” Isabelle called behind her, shooting a glare over her shoulder at Keith and Lance. The two side-eyed each other, but stopped talking and carried Shiro out and towards Keith’s hovercraft.

“Oh man,” Hunk worried from the entrance. “They’re coming back and they do _not_ look happy. We gotta go!” 

“Then let’s get going! We’d like to be gone when they get back, yeah?” Isabelle replied, helping the two onto Keith’s hovercraft as they approached before climbing on herself. “Not to bring logic into this mess of a plan, and now is definitely _not_ the time, but I don’t think this thing is built to fit all of us,” she commented.

“It wasn’t _supposed to_. But we’ll have to make it work _now_ ,” Keith grumbled. Pidge and Hunk both looked ready to comment, but stopped short at the anger in Keith’s tone. Isabelle narrowed her eyes at him and shifted in her seat as Keith took off.

“Why am I holding this guy?” Pidge asked, struggling to hold onto Shirot. Isabelle shifted again, carefully climbing in between Pidge and Shiro so she could help support him.

“Hey! We did all fit!” Hunk commented.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Lance asked. Isabelle whipped her head around to see Garrison ground patrol forces quickly catching up to them. She grimaced, cursing under her breath.

“We could toss out some non-essential weight,” Keith answered dryly.

“Oh right!” Lance said, looking around. “Okay, so that was an insult. I get it.” He narrowed his eyes at the back of Keith’s head.

“Big man, lean left!” Keith called. Hunk leaned to the left, and the hovercraft banked in that direction, causing one of the vehicles to crash into another as the swerved to follow them. “Big man, lean right!” Keith yelled over Hunk’s commentary on which of their instructors had crashed. Isabelle braced her legs on either side of the hovercraft, tightening her hold on Shiro’s upper body as Keith navigated the canyon, trying to shake the other instructors chasing after them.

“Guys! Is-is that a cliff up ahead?” Hunk asked as the hovercraft approached a steep cliff.

“Yup,” Keith replied, speeding up and staying on course for the cliff. The group yelled as Keith flew the hovercraft over the cliff. Isabelle heard herself screaming, and she turned both her head and Shiro’s to the side in an attempt to shelter them from impact.

“What are you doing? You’re gonna kill us all!” Lance yelled.

“Shut up and trust me!” Keith yelled in response. He pulled the hovercraft out of the nose dive seconds before they hit the bottom of the cliff, and sped off along the ground. Isabelle breathed a deep sigh of relief, slumping her shoulders and dropping her head to her chest.

The six of them cruised along for a while before coming to stop at a small house out in the middle of seemingly nowhere. Isabelle guessed this is where Keith had been living since he left the Garrison. At the moment, she could not have cared less. She was exhausted now, and this place would be safe for the night, at least. It seemed like the others had the same idea; they all fell asleep immediately once they were inside, sprawled out on either the floor or the couches in Keith’s living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who has that manic finals week energy? Me, it's me. I wrote this chapter late last night after studying for exams most of the day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle woke to the sound of creaking floorboards. She groaned softly, scrunching her face, but not moving from her position curled up on her side on the couch. _It’s still dark out. Who’s awake at this hour?_ She wondered. The floorboards continued to squeak intermittently, as if someone was pausing every few steps to make sure no one had woken up. Slowly, Isabelle rolled towards the sound, opening her eyes. Shiro stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, head turned towards the living room, listening. Isabelle smiled softly and got up, carefully making her way to join him.

“I was hoping I didn’t wake anyone else,” Shiro whispered as the pair walked into the kitchen. Isabelle shrugged one shoulder.

“I don’t mind,” she replied. “Especially not since it’s you.”

Shiro made a low, noncommittal sound, and leaned his hands on the kitchen counter. Isabelle planted her hands and pulled herself up to sit on the countertop. Shiro smiled, rolling his eyes slightly at her. She stared at him for a long moment, tilting her head slightly to the side.

“How’re you holding up?” she asked softly.

“I could be doing a lot worse,” Shiro murmured. Isabelle half-smiled.

“Fair enough, but you could also probably be doing better too. I know that look; it’s the look that tells me you’ve got something on your mind. How are you really, Shiro?” she repeated. He sighed.

“I honestly don’t know. There’s…” he trailed off, turning his head towards her, dark eyes searching her face. Isabelle gave him a soft, encouraging half-smile. “There’s so many gaps. My head’s pretty scrambled. I was on an alien ship, but _somehow,_ I escaped. Everything before that is a blur,” he said, looking down towards his now-cybernetic arm and flexing his hand. Isabelle hummed in response, swinging her legs.

“Aliens though, huh? I’m not sure I would’ve bet on that one,” she commented. Shiro let out a short laugh.

“Yeah, aliens. I might not have thought so either, unless…you know…” he trailed off again, quirking an eyebrow. Isabelle laughed slightly. “How did you get mixed up in this, Lieutenant? How did you know to come save me when I crashed?” Shiro asked after a moment. Isabelle shook her head.

“Here I go roasting Mitch for this, and now I have to go do it myself,” she muttered under her breath. “Technically, it’s _captain_ now. Just got promoted last week. And you of all people definitely do not have to use titles with me,” Isabelle said, turning to face Shiro, brushing her hair from her face. “I didn’t actually know to come save you. The Garrison must have picked up that alien ship on radar, because they put the whole place on lockdown. I was already outside though, on the roof with Pidge, Lance, and Hunk when it happened. We watched you crash, and the cadets decided we needed to take a closer look. And you know me, I wasn’t about to let them run into that by themselves,” Isabelle explained. Shiro chuckled. “Hey shut up! I said I wouldn’t let them do it _by themselves_ , not that they couldn’t do it! So _obviously_ that meant I had to go with them. We found Keith when we got to you.”

“Well, congratulations on the promotion, Captain,” Shiro replied.

Isabelle smiled softly, nodding once. The title felt awkward in reference to her. She had called some of her mentors and teachers _Captain_ when she joined the Garrison, and she had looked up to them as role models. Isabelle wasn’t quite sure she was ready to have that kind of influence over so many people. In theory, she knew she deserved the promotion, that her superiors thought she was worthy of everything it came with. _I would never have gotten it otherwise._ She thought. In practice, she felt slightly daunted by it.

“Hey now, I know that look. That’s the self-doubt look. I’m not about to have that on my watch.” Shiro’s voice dragged Isabelle from her thoughts. She looked up, raising an eyebrow at her friend. “You deserve this. You’re a great role model and teacher, and a damn good pilot. Literally the best in our class. You’re going to do great things, Isabelle,” Shiro said firmly, laying a hand on her shoulder. Isabelle smiled, having to tilt her head down slightly to look into his eyes given that he was still standing, while she sat on the counter.

“Bold of you to assume the Garrison will have any of us back after this. If we even go back,” she replied. “But thank you, I always appreciate your pep talks, they’re great.”

“Eh, fair point. We might all get in serious trouble for this. If that is the case though, you’ll still be a Captain in my eyes. You earned that,” Shiro said.

“Thanks, Shiro. Now, I don’t know about you, if whatever woke you up is still eating at you…” Isabelle paused, hopping lightly off the counter and looking to Shiro. They stood eye to eye with each other, with Shiro barely taller than Isabelle. “But I’m still tired, and I’m going back to bed.”

“What time is it, anyway?” Shiro asked.

“Too damn early to be awake,” Isabelle replied quickly, shaking her head. Shiro chuckled quietly, and Isabelle spun around to give a short wave before turning and leaving the kitchen

* * *

Early the next morning, Keith gathered everyone in his room. He had said he had something to show them, something they should see. Something important. Isabelle’s eyes flickered across the large corkboard as Keith pulled the cover off of it. There were maps, drawings, post-it notes with messy, rushed handwriting on them, and photos of different places everywhere, with strings pinned to the board to connect them. Isabelle scrunched her face, rubbing her eyes for a moment. None of it made sense to her. _Does it have something to do with the aliens and radio signals Pidge picked up?_

 _“What_ have you been working on?” Shiro asked after a moment.

“I can’t explain it really,” Keith said. “After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kinda…lost, and found myself drawn out to this place. It’s like something…some _energy_ was telling me to search.”

“For what?” Shiro asked.

“Well, I didn’t really know at the time…until I stumbled across this area,” Keith explained, gesturing to a point on the map that had several strings leading to it. The area was circled, and Keith has written “ _Energy surge!”_ on it.

“It’s an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings,” Keith said. Isabelle hummed, following along, but still confused. “Each one tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night. Then you showed up.” Keith looked to Shiro as he finished. Shiro looked down for a moment before turning to the rest of the group.

“I should thank you all for getting me out. Lance, right?” Shiro asked, stepping forward to shake Lance’s hand. Lance hesitated for a moment, looking at Shiro’s robotic hand, before shaking hands and smiling at Shiro. Isabelle felt herself smile as well; she knew Lance looked up to Shiro as a personal hero, and could only imagine how it felt for Lance to meet him.

“The nervous guy’s Hunk. I’m Pidge,” Pidge introduced, reaching out to Shiro as he turned to where the the two of them stood. “So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?” he asked. Isabelle watched Shiro’s face fall, and she frowned.

“I’m not sure. I remember the mission, and being captured. After that, it’s just bits and pieces,” Shiro replied.

“Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but back to the _aliens_ ,” Hunk said, stepping forward and gesturing nervously with his hands. “Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for all of us? Like, where are they at this very moment?” Hunk asked, his words speeding up and growing in volume as he became increasingly anxious.

“I can’t really put it together.” Shiro sighed. “I remember the word _Voltron.”_

“Do you think any of _this_ has anything to do with the aliens? Or maybe Voltron—whatever Voltron even _is?”_ Isabelle asked Keith, nodding towards the corkboard. Keith shrugged. 

“It’s possible, I’m really not sure,” he said shortly, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Yeah, maybe…It’s some kind of weapon they’re looking for,” Shiro said. “But I don’t know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do.”

Isabelle nodded, humming in agreement. _Whatever it is…In the hands of aliens who apparently destroy worlds, it could do catastrophic damage. Can’t have that…Guess we might really get kicked out of the Garrison after all, since it seems like the six of us are going to stop an alien invasion on our own…somehow..._ She thought.

“Well, last night I was rummaging through Pidge’s stuff, and I found this picture. Look, it’s his girlfriend.” Hunk stated, digging through a backpack for a small photograph and holding it up. It looked like Pidge, standing next to a shorter, possibly younger girl wearing a lavender dress. Isabelle raised an incredulous eyebrow.

“You just… _went though_ Pidge’s stuff?” she asked.

“Gimme that!” Pidge exclaimed, reaching up to grab the photo from Hunk. “And yeah, I’m with Captain Rivera. What were you doing in my stuff?” Pidge grabbed the backpack away from Hunk, shouldering it.

“I-I was looking for a candy bar. But _then_ I started reading his diary—” Hunk started.

“What?” Pidge yelled, snatching the small book away from Hunk and beginning to leaf through it.

“Guys, we gotta have a serious talk about personal boundaries,” Isabelle murmured. Shiro looked to make eye contact with her, and she gestured vaguely between the cadets with one hand. Hunk’s eyes slid to her, and he had the decency to look embarrassed for a second before continuing.

“And I noticed that the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line,” Hunk explained.

“Frown who?” Keith asked.

“It’s a number describing the emission spectrum of an element. Only this element doesn’t exist on Earth. I thought it might be this _Voltron_ ,” Hunk explained, gesturing with his hands and turning from Keith to the rest of the group. “And I think I can build a machine to look for it, kinda like a Voltron Geiger counter.”

As Hunk spoke, Isabelle noticed that Pidge stopped leafing through his diary and turned to look at Hunk with interest. She could practically see the gears turning in Pidge’s head. _I’m glad this makes sense to at least two of us, then._ Isabelle thought, pulling a face. _Because I have no clue how any of that would work._

“Hunk, you big gassy genius!” Lance smiled widely.

“It’s pretty fascinating, really. The wavelength looks like this.” Hunk pulled a sheet piece of paper from his pocket and unfolding it to show the group. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows; it looked like a zig-zag, with no obvious pattern. At least, not to her. Keith, however, seemed to recognize it.

“Gimme that,” he said, taking the page and holding it up to one of the photos on his corkboard. The wavelength on Hunk’s graph outlined of the rocky, uneven horizon of the canyon in the photo perfectly. Everyone stared at the board in wide-eyed shock. Isabelle raised her eyebrows, shaking her head slightly. _I bet my ass we’d find **something** out there. This…this isn’t just a strange, freakish coincidence anymore…This is something much bigger. _

“Field trip, anyone?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking around at the group, smiling excitedly.

* * *

“Okay, I admit it. This is super freaky,” Lance said dryly as they stood at the bottom of a canyon some time later. Isabelle nodded, shifting her bag on her shoulder and resting her hands on her hips as she looked up at the boulders.

Pidge and Hunk had built a makeshift machine to rack the unknown element, based on the information the group of them had gathered. Pidge held a small satellite dish, connected to a handheld device Hunk was reading from.

“I’m getting a reading,” Hunk said as the machine began to beep.

Pidge smiled brightly, and Hunk stepped forward, pausing for a moment to get his bearings on the reading. Then, he grinned and began to lead them through the canyon. The beeping continued steadily for a few minutes as they walked, before speeding up. Hunk and Pidge ran ahead, stopping at the mouth of a cave.

“Anyone else feel like there’s going to be ancient cave drawings of a blue lion in there?” Isabelle asked. Lance scoffed a short laugh, and Keith mumbled in grudging agreement.

Pidge and Hunk marveled at the carvings they found on the cave walls when they entered, murmuring in awe at their surroundings. Isabelle craned her neck back, studying the carvings on the walls and the ceiling. _Lions_ , she observed. _These carvings are all the same lions from Keith’s board_.

“What are these?” Shiro asked. Isabelle raised one eyebrow slightly at him. 

“These are the lion carvings I was telling you about. They’re everywhere around here,” Keith explained.

Isabelle watched out of the corner of her eye as Lance approached the wall, reaching out to brush some dust and dirt from a carving. Her eyes widened and she shuffled a few steps back as suddenly the cave carvings began to glow a light blue. A murmur of shock and fear ran through the six of them.

“They’ve never done that before,” Keith commented. Isabelle looked down to see the blue glow spreading to carvings at their feet.

“Uh, hey guys!” she called, her voice shaking. They all looked down as the blue glow intensified on the ground. Suddenly, the ground shifted and cracked, opening underneath them and sending the six of them tumbling into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One final down, one to go, guys! I rewarded myself after my exam yesterday by writing this one. Comment to let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle screamed, scrambling to find purchase in the tunnel they were suddenly falling through. She flailed her arms blindly for the sides of the rocky tunnel, finding nothing to slow her fall. The tunnel let out into an underground cave, and Isabelle yelped as she fell through open air for a moment before landing unceremoniously in a shallow pool beneath the tunnel. She groaned and got up, bumping into Keith and reaching an arm out to steady him as the others landed and they stumbled to their feet.

Once Isabelle got her bearings, she looked up, and gasped softly. In front of them, just outside the pool they had landed in, was a giant mechanical blue lion. It was surrounded by what looked like a blue, possibly magical forcefield. One of Isabelle’s hands slowly came to cover her mouth as she stared at the machine, murmuring under her breath.

“Is this it?” Pidge asked, once the rest of them had gotten up. “Is _this_ the Voltron?”

“It…must be,” Shiro replied haltingly, staring in shock at the robot. _What does it do?_ Isabelle wondered. _How does it work?_

“This is what’s been causing all this crazy energy out here,” Keith said, approaching the blue force field surrounding the blue lion. “It looks like there’s a force field around it.”

“Does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them” Lance asked at the group followed Keith in approaching the lion. He walked in a zig-zag pattern, moving from side to side and watching the lion’s glowing yellow eyes.

“No,” Shiro said. 

“Nope,” Isabelle added. “Just you, Lance.”

“Yeah…the eyes are totally following me,” Lance continued. Isabelle looked skeptically back and forth between Lance and the lion, furrowing her eyebrows.

“I wonder how I get through this,” Keith muttered, pressing his hands lightly to the force field. Isabelle stood back a few feet, eyeing the forcefield.

“Maybe you just have to knock,” Lance said, reaching forward to knock on the forcefield.

It responded immediately; bright blue sparks came up from where Lance had touched it, and the whole forcefield began to glow bright blue before dissolving. Somewhere to Isabelle’s right, Pidge and Hunk yelled in surprise. Isabelle startled and took a step back as glowing marks appeared on the ground surrounding the lion. She knit her eyebrows together.

“Why would it respond to Lance but not Keith or anyone else?” Isabelle murmured. Shiro glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and shrugged slightly.

Darkness overtook her vision for a moment. Isabelle saw in her mind’s eye five lions—one of them the blue one before her—soaring in unison through the sky. The other lions were red, green, yellow, and black. All of them left brightly colored trails of light in their wake as they flew. They came together with a flash of light to form a giant, humanoid robot. The robot slashed a flaming sword in the air, and Isabelle’s vision went dark again. She blinked, finding herself back in the cave, looking at the shocked, awed, and confused faces of Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, Keith, and Lance. Hunk must have fallen down, as he sat on the ground with his legs sprawled out in front of him

“Uh…Did everyone just see that?” Lance asked. Isabelle nodded slowly, staring wide-eyed at the lion.

“Voltron is a robot!” Hunk exclaimed, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “Voltron is a huge, _awesome_ robot!”

“There’s more than one of these.” Isabelle nodded towards the blue lion.

“Yeah, this thing’s only _one part_ of it,” Pidge added. “I wonder where the rest of them are.”

“This is what they’re looking for,” Shiro stated. Isabelle nodded grimly.

“It’s gotta be,” she said. “They must to be looking for the other parts to use Voltron as a weapon, somehow.”

“Incredible,” Keith murmured.

In that moment, the blue lion moved. Hunk and Pidge yelled again, backing away and bringing their arms up in defense. Isabelle moved back, towards them, bringing her hands up to a defensive position in case anything happened. Keith stepped back, and Shiro stepped forward next to him, bringing up one arm to defend Keith if he had to. Lance stood absolutely still, stunned and rooted to his spot. They all watched as the lion crouched before them, opened its mouth, and a ramp descended from it to the ground in front of them. Up close, Isabelle realized how truly massive the lion was. They could have walked, all six across, into the lion’s mouth, with room to spare. _And that’s just it’s head._ Isabelle thought.

Lance hummed in thought for a moment, before chuckling to himself and making his way up the ramp. Isabelle pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment. _Lance would…Let’s just walk right into an alien space ship we found in a cave in the middle of the desert. You know…Somehow I’m not actually surprised?_ _He would do this._ Isabelle thought.

After a moment, the rest of the group followed Lance into the lion. They found him sitting at what seemed to be the pilot’s seat, with the control panel just booting up. The five of them crowded in behind Lance’s seat as the screen in the front cleared to transparent, showing the cave they had just come from. The group murmured in awe, and Isabelle caught Lance grinning out of the corner of her eye.

“All right! Very nice!” he laughed.

“Okay guys, I-I feel the need to point out, just so that we’re all, y’know, _aware_. We’re in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now,” Hunk said. Isabelle nodded, humming softly.

“I’ve been trying not to think about it too much,” she admitted.

“Woah! Did you guys just hear that?” Lance asked, turning to look back at them. Isabelle raised an eyebrow in concern, shaking her head and huffing slightly some of the shorter layers of her hair fell into her face.

“Hear what?” Keith asked.

“I-I think it’s talking to me,” Lance explained. “Hmm…uh...” he trailed off, pressing buttons on the control panel in front of him.

Isabelle turned to look at the panels around them; they were not written in a language she recognized. Her eyes widened and she shifted on her feet as the lion began to move, rising to its feet in response to Lance’s key smashing. After a moment, the lion roared, and Pidge and Hunk let out short-lived screams in response.

“Okay. Got it. Now, let’s try this,” Lance said, taking hold of the controls and shifting forward.

The lion responded immediately, taking off into the air and smashing through the roof of the cave. Lance was able to gain control of the thrusters to keep them from crashing into the ground, taking off into the sky again immediately after. It jostled the five of the team who remained standing roughly, and Isabelle stumbled, clinging to the back of Lance’s chair with one arm for support, and trying to help steady the others with her free arm. Hunk had wrapped one arm completely around her shoulders, and Pidge gripped her jacket with one hand in an attempt to keep himself upright.

“You are…the worst…pilot… _Ever!_ ” Keith yelled as the turbulent ride continued, and Lance flew the lion upside down into a loop. Isabelle groaned and squeezed her eyes shut at the vertigo that threatened to take over her senses.

“Lance, if I throw up it _will_ be on you! And trust me, _neither_ of us wants that!” Isabelle yelled over the screaming of the others and Lance continued to fly erratically. Lance landed the lion a moment, and began directing it to run on the ground. Isabelle staggered to find her balance again.

“Isn’t this awesome?” Lance asked excitedly

“Make it stop! Make it stop!” Hunk begged, pitching forward to lean on the control panel beside Lance.

“I’m not making it do anything!” Lance replied. “It’s like it’s on autopilot.”

“Maybe you should give it a try! Just so we don’t all get motion sickness, you know?” Isabelle suggested, stumbling backwards as the lion launched skyward again. Keith reached an arm back to help her steady herself, and she nodded gratefully.

 _“Where_ are you going?” Keith asked.

“I _just_ said it’s on autopilot,” Lance snapped back. “It says there’s an alien ship approaching Earth. I think we’re supposed to stop it.”

“And we’re supposed to just…what? _Trust it?_ ” Isabelle exclaimed. 

“What did it say, exactly?” Pidge asked.

“It’s not like it’s saying _words,_ ” Lance drawled out. “It’s more like feeding ideas into my brain…kind of,” he finished, tapping his temple once and scrunching his face. Isabelle rolled her eyes, grabbing onto an overheard bar. 

“Well if this thing is the weapon they’re coming for, why don’t we just like—I don’t know—give it to them?” Hunk asked, gesturing towards the group with one hand. “Maybe they’ll leave us alone. Sorry lion, nothing personal.”

“How well do you _really_ think that would go?” Isabelle retorted. 

“You don’t understand,” Shiro began, setting his expression determinedly. “These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying _everything_ in their path. There’s no bargaining with them. They won’t stop until _everything_ is dead,” he explained. A cold shudder ran down Isabelle’s spine, and she turned to glance at Hunk from the corner of her eye. His face was one of shocked fear, and the rest of the group stared at him with varying degrees of anger.

“Oh…” Hunk trailed off, shifting awkwardly. “Never mind, then.”

Isabelle turned her head slightly to see out the front of the lion. They had left the Earth’s atmosphere completely, and her eyes widened. She shifted on her feet, readjusting her bag on her shoulder. The vast expanse of space lay before them. Stars glowed brightly in the distance. The alien ship Lance had mentioned materialized suddenly, and Isabelle jumped back, gawking at the enormous ship with rows of glowing purple lights along its sides.

“Holy crow! Is that really an alien ship?” Hunk asked.

“I’m not sure I want to find out. Lance, can you get us out of here?” Isabelle asked in reply.

Lance nodded numbly, quickly steering the lion around one side of the ship, coming to hover some distance away. From there, Isabelle could all see that the ship was longer than she had thought. It had several more rows of glowing lights, a few more sets of wings for stability, and thrusters on the back of the ship that were—alone—larger than the entirety of the blue lion. Isabelle swore under her breath.

“They found me,” Shiro breathed, eyes locked on the ship. Suddenly, the alien ship opened fire on them, shooting multiple purple laser beams at once.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Pidge yelled.

“Hang on!” Lance shouted in response, pulling up on the controls to bring the lion higher.

 _“Carajo,”_ Isabelle growled, leaning onto the back of Lance’s chair for support as he scrambled to dodge the lasers.

“Okay, I think I know what to do!” Lance yelled.

“Be careful, man! This isn’t a simulator!” Pidge responded.

“Well, that’s good. I always wreck the simulator,” Lance laughed sarcastically. Isabelle pulled a face.

“Have I taught you nothing about combat flying?” she asked, slightly indignant.

“Are you kidding, Isabelle? I get all my best moves from you,” Lance replied, turning to grin at her.

“Eyes front!” Isabelle snapped as Lance just narrowly dodged a fresh wave of laser beams. He jerked one of the shifts forward and a blue laser beam shot from the lion’s mouth, dragging across the side of the alien ship. Isabelle raised both of her eyebrows in surprise.

“Let’s try _this,_ ” Lance said, pulling both control shifts back, guiding the lion into a series of spiraling evasive maneuvers before landing on the side of the ship, dragging the lion’s claws along nearly half the length of the ship before taking off again. Isabelle turned her head to watch several small explosions go off on the alien ship as they flew away from it.

“Nice job, Lance!” Shiro exclaimed.

“So, you _do_ pay attention when I teach!” Isabelle laughed.

“Okay, I think it’s time to get these guys away from our planet,” Lance said, turning the lion to retreat from the alien ship in the opposite direction of Earth.

“Oh _no!”_ Hunk exclaimed, noting that the alien ship had turned to chase them. Isabelle grimaced.

“They’re gaining on us!” Pidge pointed out.

“It’s weird. They’re not trying to shoot us, they’re just chasing,” Lance observed.

“Okay, seriously, now we think having aliens follow us is good?” Hunk asked sarcastically. Isabelle nodded, gesturing towards Hunk to show her agreement. “I am not on board with this new direction, guys,” Hunk continued.

“They could just be trying to wear us down, and capture us when we run out of fuel,” Isabelle. suggested. “Not a good thing.”

“Where are we?” Keith asked.

“Edge of the solar system,” Shiro replied. “That’s Kerberos.” He pointed out the lion’s window to their right as the lion passed Kerberos. Isabelle’s eyes widened. _How did we get out here that fast?_ She wondered.

“It takes _months_ for our ships to get out this far! We got out here in five _seconds!_ ” Pidge exclaimed.

Before any of them could comment further, a blinding flash of light burst into the empty space in front of the blue lion. Most of the light faded after a moment, and Isabelle squinted past the floating dark spots in her vision to see a swirling vortex, interspersed with spiraling flashes of light.

“What is that?” Hunk asked.

“Uh, this may seem crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there!” Lance yelled.

“Where does it go?” Pidge asked softly.

“I-I don’t know,” Lance sighed. “Uh, is Shiro or Isabelle the senior officer here? I’m not sure. I mean, Isabelle’s, you know, _a captain_ , and literally one of our instructors. But Shiro piloted the Kerberos mission, and I think has more experience as an exploration pilot? Anyway! What should we do?” he asked. Isabelle and Shiro looked at each other for a long moment, before Isabelle shook her head.

“Your call, Shiro. You’re the one who warned us about the aliens, and you definitely know more about it than I do,” she said.

“Whatever’s happening, the lion knows more than we do. _I_ say we trust it. But we’re a team now,” Shiro said. “We should decide together.” Isabelle looked for a long moment at each of the cadets. They all turned to look at Lance, and Pidge placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Alright,” Lance said. “I guess we’re all ditching class tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my exams and finals are officially over! Yeet! And also we're finally in space! Comment to let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

The lion shook violently as it passed through the vortex. Isabelle grit her teeth, groaning as she clutched onto anything she could get her hands on. She was vaguely aware of Hunk grasping her shoulder, and Lance struggling to keep hold of the controls. As the vortex spat the lion out the other side, they were all jerked and thrown forward as the lion slowed down considerably. Isabelle stumbled forward and she swore she felt her stomach lurch into her throat. She groaned softly as she regained her footing.

“Whoa, that was…” Lance trailed off, unable to find words. In the same moment, Hunk wretched and vomited. Isabelle grimaced and gingerly pat his shoulder.

“So sorry,” Hunk rasped. Pidge shrugged, readjusting his glasses.

“I’m just surprised it took that long,” he commented.

“I don’t recognize any of these constellations. We must be a long, long way from Earth,” Shiro said, looking out at the vast expanse of space before them. Isabelle glanced out the window, nodding in agreement. _None of these are even our stars._ She observed. _Where are we?_

“The lion seems to want to go to this planet. I think…” Lance trailed off again as the lion suddenly sped up again, engaging thrusters. “I think it’s going home.”

Isabelle looked out the front of the lion to the nearest planet, the one the lion was heading towards. From the outside, its atmosphere seemed almost like Earth. She noted systems of clouds, large plots of green or brown land, and oceans on the planet’s surface. It looked like a planet that could potentially support life. It made Isabelle slightly uneasy. _We’re landing on an alien planet. We have no idea what’s down there, or if we’ll be able to communicate with any aliens we find…Or if they’ll be better or worse than the hostile ones we just left._

The six of them huddled together as the lion continued toward the planet’s surface. Isabelle grimaced as the lion shot through the planet’s atmosphere, burning for a moment before regaining stability and speeding towards the surface. _We’re going to crash!_ She thought wildly.

“Guys! Personal space!” Lance exclaimed as the group huddled closer around the pilot’s chair. “Hunk your breath is killing me.”

“Um, is it just me, or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious _wormhole?_ Why are we listening to a robotic lion anyway?” Hunk asked. Isabelle nodded, regretting it immediately as her head spun and her vision swam before her.

“It got us away from that alien warship, didn’t it?” Lance retorted.

“And what if there are different aliens on this planet? What if they’re no better than the ones we just left?” Isabelle asked.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Lance, but we’re _in_ an alien warship,” Keith said, standing up. The lion was beginning to even out now, its movements less jostling. Isabelle breathed a sigh of relief and steadied herself.

“Oh, are you scared?” Lance asked, rolling his eyes slightly.

“With you at the helm? Terrified,” Keith replied.

“Alright! Knock it off!” Shiro interrupted. “No one’s happy to be in this situation, but we’re here now. If we want to get through this, we’ve got to do it _together._ ”

“So, what do we do?” Pidge asked. Isabelle scrunched her face, looking to Shiro. He looked lost in thought, glancing to her as if to ask for help.

“First, we find out where we’re headed. Lance?” Shiro asked. Lance looked down.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m sorry. The lion’s not talking to me anymore—Wait! Wait, wait, wait. Shh. Listen. I think I hear something…” Lance trailed off.

Keith and Hunk whispered for a moment, listening. Isabelle caught Lance’s smug grin half a second before he farted. She rolled her eyes as the others gave various shouts of disgust and disbelief. Isabelle grumbled as she leaned over the back of the pilot’s chair to smack at Lance’s shoulder. 

“But seriously,” Lance continued. “There’s a castle up ahead.” Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“You could have led with that,” she commented. “Your gastrointestinal issues do not need to be everyone else’s problem.” She scoffed, fighting a fit of snickering as she finished the sentence.

When she turned to look up ahead, Isabelle’s eyes widened. A giant castle made of gleaming white metal and blue-tinted glass lay ahead. Four towers formed a diamond shape around a larger, central tower, and white bridges and walkways led to the cliff the castle seemed to rest on. A soft murmur of awe rippled through the group as the lion drew closer. As they drew near, blue lights flickered to life on top of each of the towers and the windows glowed with their reflected light. The lion touched down in the court wide courtyard, lined with white bricks, that stood just outside the entrance of the castle.

Isabelle looked slowly around. Trees and bushes flourished in the courtyard. The entrance to the castle had sweeping, elegant designs on the doors, and what seemed to be a glowing blue gem was set in the middle of the middle of the double doors. There were no signs of any kind of alien life. Once the lion settled, the courtyard seemed unnervingly still. Isabelle looked to Shiro, holding eye contact for a moment and shaking her head slightly. _I don’t trust it._

“Keep your guard up,” Shiro said firmly. Pidge turned to look up at him.

“Something wrong?” he asked. Shiro let his hand rest on the control panel.

“My crew was captured by aliens once. I won’t let it happen again,” Shiro responded, cautious determination in his voice. Isabelle nodded.

“Just because it looks pretty doesn’t mean it’s safe. This is still unknown and uncharted territory. We have to be careful,” she added as they began to slowly make their way off the lion.

Isabelle took a short breath as she stepped out into the courtyard, letting it out slowly. _Well, that answers that. We can breathe on this planet._ She thought. Isabelle smiled softly to herself, relaxing her shoulders slightly and breathing again, more deeply. Once they were all off the ship, the lion began to move of its own accord, standing up again. The six of them all jumped, turning around.

“Oh no! No, no, I knew it was going to eat us! Aw no!” Hunk exclaimed, slightly hysterical.

The lion stood to its impressive full size and roared loudly. Once it did, the blue gem on the double doors of the castle glowed, and several markings along the doors’ surface glowed in response, similar to the glowing marks in the cave where they had found the blue lion. Isabelle raised her eyebrows as the door slowly parted and opened. They all stood, frozen, for a moment, looking into the empty darkness of the castle’s now-open entrance.

“Oooh,” Hunk sighed. “The door is open! Guess I was wrong about you,” he said, turning back to look at the lion.

Isabelle tilted her head to look up as they walked through the entrance of the castle. Pillars stood at measured intervals, mimicking the structure and design of the castle’s towers. Isabelle saw balconies facing inward towards the entrance hall on the second floor. She craned her neck farther back, but the ceiling was still dark, the light from outside not reaching that high.

“Hello?” Hunk called. His voice echoed off the empty walls of the hall, creating an echo that caused the others to pause and look at him. Isabelle raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to chuckle at his antics. They came to stop at the bottom of a set of stairs.

“From the size of the lion, I expected these stairs to be bigger,” Pidge commented.

“Maybe the lion’s just a ship, meant to be parked somewhere or stay outside?” Isabelle suggested.

Both she and Pidge looked at each other and shrugged slightly. There was a sudden mechanical sound as a geometric, yet flowering design on the high ceiling lit up, sending a stream of glowing blue light down from it.

“Hold for identity scan,” came a computerized female voice. Isabelle startled, head whirling around in an attempt to find the source of the voice. Smaller circles of blue light sprang to life around each of them, travelling up and down their bodies.

“Why are we here?” Shiro demanded, looking up to where he guessed the voice came from. “What do you want with us?”

The torches along the hall suddenly lit up one by one, and any lights in the hall in front of them also lit the entirety of the hall that the six of them could see. The torched continued to light up, creating a path for them down another long, empty hall.

“I guess we’re going that way,” Pidge commented.

They wandered through the door and down the hall. Lights continued to come on immediately ahead of them, only lighting the next few yards at a time. Isabelle felt like they were constantly walking into an unknown darkness; they could never see more than maybe ten feet in front of them. She squared her shoulders, slowly tilting her head every now and then to listen for something, _anything_ other than the noise the six of them made. Hunk called out periodically, his voice echoing through the unnerving emptiness of the castle as they walked farther in and down a few flights of stairs.

At the bottom of one such flight of stairs, a set of doors slid open to let them into a wide, circular room with tall pillars. On the floor there was a ring made up of smaller circular designs. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, looking carefully around.

“Hello?” Hunk called again, his echoing.

“Where are we?” Lance asked.

“It’s some kind of control room,” Pidge said, pausing near a platform and control panel inside the circle.

Isabelle suddenly heard a mechanical hissing noise and whirled around to face it, and Pidge gasped from behind her. One of the circular designs on the floor had opened, and a glass pod was rising from it. Isabelle narrowed her eyes. It looked like someone was inside the pod. Isabelle shifted, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, raising her hands to hover out in front of her. Lance looked to the side, and Isabelle followed his gaze to see another pod rising up from the floor. Her gaze shifted between the two, waiting in anxious anticipation.

“Are these guys…dead?” Hunk asked from his spot hiding behind the control panel. Isabelle shrugged one shoulder. The first pod glowed brighter suddenly, and the glass seemed to dissolve, revealing a person inside. The group barely had time to react before the young woman opened her eyes, gasping for air for a moment before pitching forward.

“Father!” she exclaimed. Lance was the closest to the pod, and rushed to catch the young woman as she fell.

“Hello,” Lance said, smirking in an attempt to be charming and flirtatious. Isabelle rolled her eyes, but took a moment to observe the young woman. She had dark brown skin, and long, wavy, white hair. Her ears were pointed at the ends. Her eyes were bright blue, and she wore a golden circlet. She wore a floor-length dress in the same blue and white colors prominent in the castle’s design.

“Who are you?” She asked. “Where am I?”

“I’m Lance,” Lance replied. “And you’re right here in my arms.” Isabelle pulled a face, and glanced at the others, wondering if she should step in.

“Your…ears.” The woman spoke again. Isabelle tilted her head slightly.

“Yeah?” Lance asked.

“They’re hideous. What’s wrong with them?” the woman asked, pulling away from Lance.

“Nothing’s wrong with them!” Lance exclaimed. “They heard exactly what you said about them!” The young woman suddenly grabbed Lance’s ear, using the grip to turn him around, locking his arm behind him and pushing him to his knees. Isabelle quirked an eyebrow, alarmed but also mildly impressed, and shifted on her feet.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?”

“A giant blue lion brought us here! That’s all we know!” Lance yelled, wincing in pain. The young woman’s face changed from one of fierce determination to complete shock.

“How do _you_ have the blue lion?” The woman asked, letting go of Lance. “What happened to its paladin? What are you all doing here? Unless…” she trailed off. “How long has it been?”

“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” Shiro said.

“Why don’t we backtrack a second? Who are you?” Isabelle added. “Maybe we can help each other.”

“I am Princess Allura of planet Altea,” the woman answered. “I’ve got to find out where we are and how long we’ve been asleep.” She stepped forward, putting her hands on the control panel. It lit up, projecting a holographic screen for her to look at.

“Okay, that’s how that works,” Pidge commented. After a moment, the second pod opened. The man inside had orange-ginger hair, a prominent mustache, and the same pointed ears Princess Allura did. He sputtered for a moment before he caught sight of them.

“Enemy combatants!” he yelled, leaping from the pod at Lance. Lance ducked and the man stumbled into the empty pod next to him, leaning against it for support. “Quiznak! You’re lucky I have a case of the old ‘sleep chamber knees’,” he continued, turning to look back at each of the group. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head slightly. _What the hell is a quiznak though?_ She wondered.

“Otherwise I’d grab your head like this, wrap you up like so…” the man trailed off, miming a headlock with his hands. “And one, two, three, sleepy time!” He snapped his fingers, gesturing to Lance.

“Well, before you did that, I’d...” Lance trailed off, throwing out punches and kicks into the air. “Like that.”

“Oh really, well how could you do that, when I’ve already come at you with this?” The stranger retorted, miming a finger jab. Isabelle tilted her head slightly, watching the two argue. _If we’re being perfectly honest, I could take you both out right now. All major body targets are currently facing me._

“Man, these guys are good,” Hunk commented. Isabelle smirked, scoffing slightly.

“It can’t be,” Princess Allura said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her as she spoke.

“What is it?” The man spoke. Isabelle noted that his clothing mirrored Princess Allura’s in its color scheme.

“We’ve been asleep for ten thousand years!” Princess Allura exclaimed.

“Ten _thousand_ years?” Isabelle echoed in disbelief. “How? Why? What happened? What— _What?_ ”

For a long moment, the group remained silent. Isabelle shifted her gaze between her friends, all eyeing each other with varying degrees of shock and confusion. The man who had been arguing with Lance had paused, and was looking at Princess Allura with concern. The princess looked lost in thought.

“Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed,” Princess Allura said eventually. “Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization…” she trailed off for a moment before her eyes hardened and she glared. “Zarkon,” she spat. Shiro gasped suddenly, and Isabelle cast him a worried look.

“Zarkon?” Shiro asked.

“You recognize that name?” Isabelle replied, turning her head towards Shiro.

“He was the king of the Galra. A vile creature, and enemy to _all_ free people!” Princess Allura explained. Isabelle hummed. _Sounds a lot like the aliens that just tried to kill us on Earth._

“I remember now,” Shiro said. “I was his prisoner.” Isabelle’s eyes widened. _So, it was the same aliens? Or at least, Zarkon was directly involved in destroying Princess Allura’s planet and trying to destroy ours._ Isabelle thought, scrambling to keep up with Princess Allura and Shiro’s conversation, glancing back and forth between the two. 

“He’s still alive? Impossible!” Allura frowned, bringing one hand up to her chin.

“I can’t explain it, but it’s true,” Shiro responded. “He’s searching for a super weapon called Voltron.”

“And if we’re right about that, then he has to be the one leading the attack you wanted to warn us about when you came back,” Isabelle said, nodding to Shiro. “The same guy who destroyed your solar system.” She paused to look at Princess Allura. “He’s coming for our planet now too.”

“He’s searching for Voltron because he knows it’s the only thing that can defeat him; and that’s exactly why we must find it before he does,” Princess Allura told them. Isabelle nodded in agreement. _Voltron seems like our best bet at stopping Zarkon from destroying Earth, and possibly countless other planets and civilizations._ Isabelle thought. _I guess we’re all skipping class for the foreseeable future._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! Here's the next chapter! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think! have a good day/night!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“So—and forgive me if I missed the introductions—but who are you?” the man with orange-ginger hair asked after a moment, looking curiously between Isabelle and the others. Isabelle smiled slightly and stepped forward.

“My name’s Isabelle,” she introduced, gesturing towards herself with one hand. “My friends here are Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Keith.” Isabelle gestured to each of the others in turn. “We’re from Earth. I’m…not sure where that actually is in relation to this planet…Not that it really matters right now,” she trailed off, scrunching her face.

“Well! I’m Coran! And I know you’ve met Princess Allura already,” the man replied, reaching a hand out to Isabelle. She took it, and the two shook hands briefly. “Now, I know I’m hungry. It’s been ten thousand years and all, and I’m guessing you might be hungry too. Excuse me for a moment and let me see what we’ve got in the old kitchen,” Coran said, heading for the door.

The group stood in awkward silence. Isabelle shifted her weight slowly between her feet. Princess Allura seemed to be lost in thought, and the others were unsure of what to do with themselves, shuffling awkwardly and shrugging when they made anxious eye contact with each other. Coran returned after a few minutes with hovering trays carrying bowls of something green and mushy, almost like mashed potatoes in consistency. Isabelle raised a skeptical eyebrow. Coran gave one tray to Hunk and brought the other to where Princess Allura stood at the control panel.

“Princess, you must eat. It’s been ten thousand years,” Coran coaxed.

“I’m not hungry,” Princess Allura replied softly.

“Man, ten thousand years? That’s like one thousand plus ten,” Lance said. Isabelle knit her eyebrows. _That math…is wrong_. She thought, about to say something when Keith spoke up.

“That’s…times ten,” he corrected.

“Whatever, dropout,” Lance retorted. _Excuse you, rude._ Isabelle thought, glancing at Lance. He and Keith scowled at each other for a moment and Isabelle groaned internally. _Whatever rivalry these two had going on at the Garrison is going to have to stop. Soon. Or I might have to knock their heads together._

“I haven’t eaten since _breakfast_ and I’m starving,” Hunk said.

“Yeah but you’ve thrown up like, five times,” Pidge commented. Isabelle nodded.

“So really there’s nothing in your system now, Hunk,” She added. “You should eat something.”

“Hmm, good point,” Hunk said, reaching into the bowl of green stuff on the tray. Isabelle stepped closer, realizing it was more of a gooey substance. She raised an eyebrow as Hunk ate.

“Is it any good?” she asked him.

“Not bad, actually. Gooey…Almost like jello? But not really,” Hunk replied. “Try some.” Isabelle shrugged and picked out a small portion of the goo and eating it. She hummed thoughtfully as she ate. _Not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten, for sure. I could get used to it._ She thought.

“I can’t believe your civilization created such advanced technology _ten thousand_ years ago,” Shiro said to Princess Allura. Isabelle turned towards him.

“Ten thousand years ago on our planet, humanity had just barely started developing the concept of agriculture,” Isabelle pointed out. Shiro nodded, murmuring under his breath.

“Altea must have been an incredible place,” he finished.

“Yes, it was,” Coran answered, looking at them. His eyes were filled with a bone-deep sorrow that made Isabelle’s heart ache. “But now it is gone, and we’re the last Alteans alive.”

Coran turned toward Princess Allura as he finished. She looked deeply troubled as well, and rested on hand over her heart, looking away. Coran stepped over to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Princess Allura wrapped her arms around Coran’s neck and let out a muffled sob. Isabelle’s heart wrenched in her chest, and she could feel the weight of their loss. Isabelle felt like existing in the room at this moment, their first moment of grief and sorrow over their civilization, was _wrong_ somehow. She should not be watching this, watching them, at this moment. Isabelle bit her lip, turning her head and looking away to give Princess Allura and Coran as much privacy as she could.

Princess Allura lifted her head suddenly, gasping softly. She pulled away from Coran and hurried back to the pod she had woken up in, looking inside. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows and leaned back, tilting her head to try and see around the princess. Princess Allura laughed softly after a moment.

“Looks like we’re not the last after all,” she murmured, smiling gently.

After a second, four mice scurried out of the pod, sniffing curiously around the room. They looked the same as mice Isabelle had seen on Earth, yet they were pale pastel pink, yellow, and blue in color. _Space mice, I guess? Sure, why not? It’s not even the strangest thing to happen today_. Isabelle wondered.

An alarm began blaring suddenly. Isabelle jumped at the loud, persistent noise, and turned to see the control panel lit up in red lights with something flashing on the map on the screen. She cast a worried, confused look first at Shiro, then at Princess Allura and Coran as they rushed to the control panel. An image appeared on the screen of a space ship identical to the one Isabelle and the others had encountered when they left Earth. Isabelle curled her lip, glaring at the screen.

“A Galra battleship has set its tracker to us!” Coran exclaimed. _So, it really was the Galra who attacked us on Earth, not just Zarkon specifically. Good to know._ Isabelle thought.

“Great,” she murmured. “Fantastic, just what we needed.”

“How did they find us?” Princess Allura asked.

“I’m not sure, but I bet it’s Keith’s fault,” Lance commented.

“Say whatever you gotta say to make yourself feel better after getting us _stuck_ on the other side of a _wormhole_ ,” Keith shot back. Isabelle set her jaw, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll stick you in a wormhole!” Lance exclaimed. Before Isabelle knew it, both of them were standing toe-to-toe, staring each other down.

“Can you two not?” She asked, leveling both teenagers with a glare. “Can you two _please_ cut the bullshit? We have much bigger problems right now than whatever rivalry you two had going on at the Garrison.”

“Stow it, cadets!” Shiro called at the same time, stepping in between the two. Lance backed off, throwing his hands into the air. “This is no time to place blame. Captain Rivera is right, we’re in danger. It’s time to work as a team. How long before they arrive?” Shiro asked, turning back towards Coran.

“At their speed? Oh, well…carry the two…” Coran trailed off, counting on his fingers for a moment. Isabelle watched him with concern, swallowing hard. “I’d say probably a couple of days.” Isabelle sighed in relief. A few days would give them time to prepare, time to figure out how to fight.

“Good. Let them come!” Princess Allura said, her voice stronger now. “By the time they get here, you will have reformed Voltron, and together we will destroy Zarkon’s empire.”

As she spoke, she looked to each of them in turn, her brilliant blue eyes hardened in determination. Isabelle fought back a smirk. Hunk burped suddenly, pulling a face and clasping his hands together, clearly embarrassed.

“Sorry! Food goo,” he explained.

“I like the way you think, Princess,” Isabelle remarked, turning back to Princess Allura. “But how are we going to do that, exactly?”

“Princess, there are five of these lions. How are we going to find the rest?” Shiro asked.

“And there are six of us. What happens to the odd person out?” Isabelle added.

Princess Allura nodded, falling quiet for a moment. The mice squeaked where they sat in her hand. She set them down after a moment, leading the group upstairs to what seemed to be the main part of the castle. She turned into a room with windows on three sides that seemed to be the main control room of the castle. Princess Allura stepped up to a platform, closing her eyes, focusing on something none of the rest of them could sense. The strange dome carved into the ceiling began to glow, its tiles casting blue light in a sort of spotlight on the control panel where Allura stood. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask what was happening when Coran spoke up.

“King Alfor connected the lions to Allura’s life force,” he explained. “She alone is the key to the lions’ whereabouts.”

 _Okay? Now I have more questions than answers._ Isabelle thought, knitting her eyebrows. Princess Allura opened her eyes suddenly, and the blue light expanded outward, creating a floating, almost holographic map of their surrounding area of space. Different shapes showed planets, stars, constellations that Isabelle did not recognize, and what she thought were active space ships in the area. Isabelle let out a low, soft whistle.

“These are…coordinates,” Pidge said, looking closer at the map. Pictures suddenly appeared on the map of two of the lions, on the same planet Isabelle was sure they were currently on. “The black lion looks like it’s in the same location as the blue lion,” Pidge observed. Isabelle hummed in agreement.

“Look at your primitive synapses firing away in their little brain cage,” Coran said, leaning down to Pidge’s eye level.

“Very observant,” Princess Allura stated. “That’s because the black lion is in the castle.”

“To keep the black lion out of Zarkon’s hands, King Alfor locked it in the castle.”

“The black lion is here?” Isabelle asked. “Well…I guess that makes our job a little easier then, doesn’t it?”

“Hmmm yes and no,” Coran replied. “The black lion can only be freed if the other four lions are present.” Isabelle scrunched her face.

“As you have found, the lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond, and cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain,” Princess Allura said. Isabelle gasped softly. _So…Is it magic? Magic is real too? Wow…We love finding out magic and aliens are real in the same day. Eat your hearts out, skeptics._ Isabelle thought.

“The black lion is the decisive head of Voltron,” Princess Allura continued, snapping Isabelle out of her thoughts. "It will take a pilot who is a born leader, and in control at all times. Someone whose men will follow without hesitation…” Princess Allura trailed off, looking meaningfully at Shiro. “That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the black lion.” Shiro nodded, straightening his shoulders. Isabelle smiled softly at him.

“The green lion has an inquisitive personality, and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the green lion,” Princess Allura said. As she spoke, an image of a planet with a picture of the green lion floated across the map of light to rest in front of Pidge, who stared at it in awe, smiling brightly.

“The blue lion—” Princess Allura was interrupted suddenly as Lance spoke up.

“Wait, hold up, let me guess. Takes the most handsome-slash-best pilot of the bunch?” he asked, smirking. Isabelle snickered.

“I thought all your best flying moves came from me? That I taught you everything you know?” she asked teasingly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Princess Allura’s irritated expression crack just slightly as her lips twitched into a small smile.

“Yeah but the blue lion didn’t choose you, did it?” Lance asked. Isabelle raised an eyebrow, “I-uh, no offense! Captain…” Lance trailed off. Isabelle laughed.

“Just Isabelle works just fine,” she said.

“The _yellow lion_ is caring and kind,” Princess Allura continued, her expression softening. “its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty,” she said, waving her hands to shift the blue light map, searching for the yellow lion’s location. Once she found it, the yellow lion’s location hovered in the air in front of Hunk. “As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together.” Hunk furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, gesturing vaguely at himself. Isabelle stepped closer to him, resting a hand on his shoulder and nodding reassuringly.

“Yes, _you_ , Hunk. You’ve got the biggest, most caring heart of any of us,” she whispered.

“The red lion is temperamental, and the most difficult to master,” Princess Allura said, gesturing with her hands to find the red lion’s location. She stared at the small image of the lion in front of her for a moment. “It’s faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. Keith, you will fly the red lion,” she finished, sending the red lion’s image to float in front of Keith.

“What?” Lance asked. “This guy?” Lance and Keith glared at each other, and Isabelle took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Unfortunately, I can _not_ locate the red lion’s coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the castle. After ten thousand years, it _might_ need some work,” Princess Allura added.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find it soon,” Coran said. “They don’t call me ‘The Coranic’ for nothing,” he added, puffing up his chest and fussing for a second or two with the collar of his uniform. “It’s because it sounds like _mechanic_. So…Coranic, mechanic,” Coran explained, twirling the end of his mustache and fumbling over his words for a moment, trying to explain the joke.

Isabelle hummed, looking down. _That still doesn’t answer my question from earlier. What happens to the odd man…Or, you know, since it’s me, after all…the odd woman out? It doesn’t seem like I’ll pilot a lion, so what am I doing in all this?_ Isabelle wondered. She was shaken from her thoughts as the images of the lions on the map roared, running across the room.

“Once all the lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever know. The Defender of the Universe.” Princess Allura spoke again, and the small lions came together to form an image robot they had all seen in that vision in the cave, and the image grew to what Isabelle guessed might be a life-size representation, towering behind Princess Allura as she spoke. Isabelle’s eyebrows shot up in shock, and she murmured under her breath. The image dissipated after a moment, and Isabelle noticed that the windows were transparent now, and she could clearly see out them into the courtyard.

“Awesome!” Hunk exclaimed. “Wait, okay. We’re going to be in there and flying the lions. Got that part. How do lions turn into legs? Also! Is this going to be a long trip? Because I have to pee. Do you people pee?”

“We don’t have much time,” Shiro said. “Pidge and I will go after the green lion. Lance, you take Hunk and get the yellow one. Isabelle, go with them.” Isabelle nodded sharply as Shiro made eye contact with her. “Keith, you stay here. If you locate that red lion, go get it,” he finished, laying a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

“In the meantime, I’ll get this castle’s defenses ready. They’ll be sorely needed,” Allura said.

“I’ll ready a pod and load the coordinates so that you can reach the green lion,” Coran said, approaching Shiro and Pidge.

Hunk and Lance gravitated to Isabelle. They began talking, and Isabelle moved past them for a moment to approach Princess Allura as the others began getting ready for their new missions. Isabelle took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders back and straightening her spine. She tapped the princess’ shoulder after a moment.

“Oh! Isabelle! You should be going along with Lance and Hunk, no?” Princess Allura asked, looking at Isabelle. Isabelle nodded.

“I will in just a minute. I—” Isabelle was cut off as a look of realization washed over Princess Allura’s face.

“Oh,” she said softly. “You must be wondering why you’re not piloting a lion. I gather you might be a more experienced pilot than your…colleagues.”

“Oh! No, it’s not about that—not in that respect. My friends are more than capable of flying these lions, and I believe in them,” Isabelle said. “I’m not jaded or anything. I was just wondering…What can I do if I’m not meant to fly one of the lions? How else can I help?” Princess Allura hummed softly, looking at Isabelle for a long moment.

“Unless I’ve miscalculated somehow, or misread your friends, you may _not_ be meant to pilot a lion. You seem to have…so many of the traits associated with the different lions in you that any of them may also choose you as a pilot if—stars forbid—something happens to one of the others. It’s unlikely, though…” Princess Allura trailed off, lost in thought for a few seconds. “In any case, your determination and passion to do what is right, to help end Zarkon’s reign of terror on the universe, is admirable, and your help will be sorely needed and greatly appreciated.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Isabelle said, smiling.

“Please, just call me Allura. If we’re working together against Zarkon, I would like for us all to be friends as well,” she replied. Isabelle nodded.

Before either woman could say more, Lance called for Isabelle from across the room. Isabelle smiled brightly, nodding to Allura quickly and thanking her one more before taking off after Lance. _Let’s go get that yellow lion._ Isabelle smirked fiercely, quickly catching up to Lance and Hunk as they made their way outside to the blue lion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang on, friends. There's some fun stuff coming up that I'm very excited about. In the meantime, please leave a comment to let me know what you think? And happy holidays to all of you! I hope that whatever you're celebrating, you have a happy, safe, and peaceful holiday season.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“We can only keep the wormholes that lead to the other lions open for two of your earth hours, so you’ll have to be quick about your work” Coran explained, his voice carrying over the radio signal in the blue lion. Hunk and Isabelle stood on either side of the Lance’s pilot’s seat. Isabelle surreptitiously pulled her phone from her jacket pocket, setting a timer for two hours. Hunk furrowed his eyebrows and murmured in question, and Isabelle turned her screen quickly to him, showing the timer. Hunk nodded slightly in understanding.

“The good news is that, according to my readings, both planets are relatively peaceful. So, if you do get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives. Well! Enjoy the trip!” Coran finished cheerily.

“What?!” Isabelle exclaimed.

“Wait, what? No!” Lance yelled.

“Uh, I did not receive the memo on this!” Hunk said.

Their protests were cut off as the blue lion flew through the wormhole. Isabelle grit her teeth, pulling a face as a wave of vertigo crashed down on her. She wobbled on her feet, leaning on the pilot’s chair for support as they went through the wormhole. Once the blue lion stabilized on the other side of the wormhole, Isabelle caught sight of the planet.

“It looks like that’s it,” she commented, pointing towards it through the glass at the front of the lion.

“Alright!” Lance grinned. “Yellow lion, here we come!”

There were no other forms of life in the sky as Lance flew the blue lion through the planet’s atmosphere. The sky was clear and blue, with not many clouds. Isabelle could vaguely see buildings and people moving around on the ground. As they drew closer, the buildings Isabelle saw seemed to have glowing purple lights, and she thought the people she saw were wearing armor. It reminded her unnervingly of the battleship they had seen as they left Earth—the Galra cruiser that had attacked them. Isabelle felt a shudder race down her spine. 

“Uh…Didn’t Coran say this was a peaceful planet?” Hunk asked.

“Yeah, he did,” Isabelle replied. “ _Relatively peaceful_ is what he said. I’m…not sure this counts as _any_ kind of peaceful if this planet is Galra occupied.” she said sarcastically, turning to look around the surrounding air space. Isabelle saw a dark shape out of the corner of her eye, and turned her body fully to see out of the side-facing window. Her eyes widened, and she nudged Lance’s shoulder.

“Lance,” she murmured. Lance did not reply, focused on flying the lion closer to the ground. “Lance!” she repeated loudly. He jumped, turning to look at her. “Galra fighter jet, five o’clock.”

“Holy crow,” Lance muttered. “What…What do we do?” he asked. Isabelle bit her lip, unsure of how to reply. _It hasn’t fired at us yet, so if we start evasive maneuvers, we’ll alert that pilot that we know they’re there. But if we do nothing, they’ll shoot us down._ She thought.

“Isabelle!” Hunk yelled suddenly, smacking at her arm as an alarm on the lion’s control panel started blaring at them.

Isabelle jerked her head up, about to respond, when the jet suddenly opened fire on them. The beam of red light and energy shot past the lion, barely missing them. Isabelle swore, and Lance leaned the lion hard to the right, avoiding the next shot. Isabelle turned to see where the second shot had come from, cursing internally when she spotted another fighter jet.

“Alright, now there’s _two_ ,” she called.

“Yeah, I see them!” Lance replied, looked between the sky and the map on his control panel.

The two fighter jets began to fire on them in earnest. Isabelle and Hunk yelled as Lance sent the lion spinning into an evasive roll. Lance also began yelling as the two jets gave chase. Lance zig-zagged the lion through the sky, avoiding the incoming fire and trying to make the lion a harder target to hit. The lion jostled as something exploded nearby.

“Missiles! We’ve got missiles incoming!” Isabelle yelled.

Lance hissed under his breath, groaning slightly as he leaned the lion hard to the left to avoid one of the missiles. The Galra pilots must have anticipated the move, as another missile exploded immediately on their left. All three of them screamed as the lion was sent hurtling in a continuous somersault towards the ground.

“I thought Coran said these planets were peaceful!” Hunk exclaimed.

“Maybe peaceful means something else in Altean!” Lance replied.

Isabelle let out a short, slightly hysterical laugh as she watched the ground get closer and closer to them. Lance was able to regain control of the lion, steadying them, seconds before they would have crashed, and sped forwards, flying low along the ground. The two Galra jets closed in behind them. The lion flew over what looked like a large pit, and several shots fired at them from there. Isabelle pulled a face as Lance worked to dodge them as well.

“According to the coordinates, we’re right on top of the yellow lion,” Hunk said, groaning slightly as he stood up, looking at a small handheld device Coran had given him before they left. “It’s below there, where they’re mining for the ore.” As Hunk spoke, Lance focused the screen on the control panel on the entrance to the mine, zooming in on it. “They don’t even know the lion is there! Or maybe they just got here and they’re digging for the lion? What do you think, Lance?” Hunk asked.

“Who cares? Just go get it!” Lance snapped. “I’m dropping you down there.”

“Me? Down there?” Hunk asked. “No. No, no, no.”

“Yes. I’ll cover you!” Lance replied.

“I’ll go with him,” Isabelle said suddenly.

“You sure?” Lance asked, turning for a second to look over his shoulder at her. Isabelle nodded, squaring her shoulders.

“Yeah, I’ll cover you from the ground and make sure none of those guys with guns comes in after us,” she said, turning to look at Hunk. Hunk and Lance both nodded.

Lance flew the lion down into the mining pit, running along the ground. The two Galra jets flew after them, circling near the ground above the pit. Isabelle caught sight of a third jet, seemingly parked on the ground, in the pit, and frowned. _That could be a problem_ , she thought. The alien people on the ground in the pit turned their guns on the blue lion as Lance directed it towards the entrance to the mine.

“What if the yellow lion doesn’t work?” Hunk asked suddenly, gesturing anxiously with his hands. “Wh-what if I can’t get into the mine? What if someone takes off in that third jet over there and Lance can’t handle them all? What if I start crying? Too late! I’m already crying!” Hunk exclaimed, tears of fear and frustration beginning to roll down his face. Isabelle laid a steady hand on his shoulder.

“It’s going to work out, Hunk. We got this,” she said, looking into his eyes. “I believe in you; you’re meant to pilot the yellow lion. It will work. Lance can handle these two jets. I’m going to help you get into the mine, and I think I’m going to have to do something about that other jet too,” Isabelle told him.

“Sorry, no more time for questions or pep talks with Isabelle!” Lance called over his shoulder.

Isabelle and Hunk turned to look at him, but before they could say anything, he pressed a button on his control panel. The floor dropped open underneath them, and Isabelle yelped as they fell from the lion. Isabelle tucked her chin, rolling as she hit the ground and groaning as she stumbled to her feet and ran towards the mine. Hunk hauled himself up and ran up next to her.

“What-what exactly are you going to do about that other jet?” he asked.

“Not sure yet!” Isabelled replied, bringing her hands up to a defensive position next to her cheekbones as they approached the entrance to the mines. “Go for the entrance, I’ll distract him,” she said to Hunk, gesturing towards the alien who stood guard near the entrance. Hunk looked unsure, but nodded.

The guard yelled something in a language Isabelle could not even begin to understand as she and Hunk approached the entrance to the mine. Isabelle positioned herself in front of him, moving to block his path before he could chase after Hunk. She yelled behind her for Hunk to go, and grinned viciously as she heard the machinery behind her whir to life.

The alien moved to grab the gun at his side, but Isabelle checked his arm with her own before he could draw the weapon. The alien’s free hand came to swing at Isabelle. She blocked just a second late with her own free arm, taking a glancing blow to the side of her head. Grimacing, Isabelle drove the heel of her palm into his face, kicking his knee out, causing him to fall, when his hands rushed to his injured face. After a moment the alien stumbled to a knee and made a grab at Isabelle. She turned quickly, moving out of his reach, and aimed a quick punch to the side of his head, effectively knocking him out. _Hopefully that’ll keep him out long enough for Hunk to find the lion_ , she thought.

Isabelle looked up to see that Lance had positioned the blue lion in front of the entrance to the mine, acting as a shield from the shots from the Galra fighter jets. Isabelle stood near the entrance to the mine, peering around the lion as Lance moved to deflect any fire they took. There were still several aliens on the ground with guns, though none seemed to have noticed Isabelle yet. She turned her attention to the parked fighter jet. It was a bit farther from the entrance to the mines, past where Lance had positioned the lion. Isabelle pulled a face.

_If I run for the jet to stop it, I could risk getting shot. But if that jet gets in the air, Lance might not be able to handle that much fire power at once. How would I stop it? Would I have to chase after whoever runs for the jet and stop them from taking off? What then, if someone else goes for it?_ Isabelle thought frantically. She groaned slightly, feeling utterly useless as she watched Lance continue to deflect enemy fire with the blue lion. _What would the controls on that thing even look like? Is it something I could fly?_ Isabelle wondered, eyeing the jet again.

Suddenly, Isabelle saw one of the aliens on the ground running for the jet. Her eyes widened, and suddenly her mind blanked in panic. She made her way out from the relative safety of the mine entrance, past the blue lion, and sprinted for the jet. She scrambled up the entrance ladder on the jet as it retracted, stumbling into the cockpit as the pilot booted up the system.

“Who—What are you doing here?” he yelled at her. He had purple skin, and short purple fur on his face, which was all Isabelle could see of his body, as his flight suit covered the rest of him. His ears were long, almost bat-like, and also furry. He was also tall—taller than Isabelle by at least a head. Isabelle swallowed hard, mentally steeling herself to fight him.

“Who are _you_? What are _you_ doing here?” Isabelle shot back.

The alien snarled, getting up from the pilot’s seat and lunging at her. Isabelle ducked under his arm as he swung at her, pivoting away from the still-open door of the jet, and aiming a short, close punch at the alien’s side. The alien elbowed Isabelle’s ribs, sending her stumbling into the wall. Isabelle grimaced, leaning one hand on the wall to support herself and side-kicking the alien as he moved in on her again. He stumbled back and Isabelle pushed off the wall to regain her footing.

The alien produced a knife from his belt and Isabelle felt herself still, a cold shudder running down her back and threatening to freeze her to the spot. Shaking her head slightly, she forced herself to think past the panic. The alien yelled, moving in to stab at Isabelle’s torso. She side-stepped him, blocking his arm with the outsides of her own forearms. She grabbed his wrist with both of her hands, spinning quickly under his arm to stand behind him, twisting his arm in towards his body as she did. The alien suddenly yelled in pain, and Isabelle guessed that she had stabbed him with his own knife. He wobbled on his feet, crashing into her, and Isabelle released her hold on the knife to catch him. She nearly buckled under his weight and shoved him off her after a second. The alien stumbled away, scrambling for purchase for a split second before he fell out of the still-open door of the jet.

Isabelle gasped, her eyes widening. _Holy shit. Oh my god, oh my **god** I just stabbed that guy. Is he dead? I hope he’s not dead_, she thought. _What am I doing? I have to stop anyone else from getting this jet. I guess that means I have to figure out how to fly it now_.

Isabelle rushed to the door of the jet, forcing herself not to look down and see what had become of the alien with the knife. She slammed the door shut and rushed back to the pilot’s seat. The system had booted up and the control panel was lit with red lights and runes Isabelle did not recognize. The setup seemed similar enough to the blue lion’s control panel, and the controls of the jet were vaguely like those of fighter jets Isabelle had flown. _I can make this work_. she thought desperately. _I got this._

One of the images on the control panel showed two dots with long wavelengths moving back and forth between them. _Radio waves? I hope so, maybe I can contact Lance and the blue lion_ , Isabelle thought, hitting the button. Four labels showed up on the screen in front of Isabelle, in front of the windshield looking out over the landscape of the mining pit. Three labels, lit in red, hovered near the edges of the pit where Isabelle guessed the other Galra fighter jets were. One, lit in blue, hovered over the blue lion. Isabelle grinned to herself, tapping the blue lion’s label on her screen. For a moment, all she heard was radio static.

“Hey, what the hell? Who is this?” Lance yelled. Isabelle laughed victoriously as his voice came over her radio waves.

“Lance, it’s me! It’s Isabelle! I’m calling from the jet parked next to you!” she replied.

“How?” Lance demanded.

“I…may or may not have fought the pilot who came for it, and locked myself in here to keep anyone else out. The control panel setup is vaguely similar to the blue lion’s, and the controls themselves are unfamiliar, but they’re sort of like Earth fighter jets? I—Lance I think I can _fly_ this thing,” Isabelle replied. Lance laughed on the other end of the radio signal.

“Alright! Grand theft Galra jet! Go, Captain Rivera!” Lance whooped. Isabelle rolled her eyes. Small triangles hovered on her screen over the aliens on the ground as well as the other Galra fighter jets, as if targeting them.

“Lance we’ve got another jet incoming,” Isabelle said, pressing the button she hoped was the thrusters, grinning when thrusters engaged, and shifting her controls back to lift the jet off the ground. Lance hummed in response.

“Can you figure out how to shoot lasers from that thing?” he asked.

Isabelle hummed, scanning the control panel for a moment. She did not find a button on the control panel that looked even vaguely like it would fire the ship’s guns. She frowned, feeling up and down the shift sticks until she reached a button at the top on each stick. She tapped one of the triangles on her screen for one of the jets, and locked onto that target, squeezing the buttons on her control sticks. Isabelle jumped slightly as a red laser beam shot from her fighter jet towards the other incoming jet. Isabelle’s eyes widened. _So that’s how that works_ , she thought.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can fire the lasers,” she said over the radio to Lance. Lance whooped in reply. He was cut off as a laser hit near the entrance of the mine, causing a small explosion. Lance and Isabelle both groaned.

“Lance,” Isabelle said, her voice taking on a serious tone. “Go after those jets, I’ll cover down here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys you have no idea how excited I've been for Grand Theft Galra Jet. I've been so excited about this. Anyway, please leave a comment to let me know what you thought!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Lance took off in the blue lion, chasing after the three Galra fighter jets. Isabelle flew to position her fighter jet in front of the entrance to the mine, firing her lasers at the ground nearby in an attempt to scatter the aliens on the ground without seriously injuring them. After a few moments, the other Galra jets doubled back, apparently having avoided Lance. Isabelle watched as the blue lion bit down and tore through one of the jets, and Lance fired his lasers at another. Seconds before the jet exploded, however, it released a missile headed for the entrance to the mines.

“Isabelle! Missile incoming!” Lance yelled frantically over the comms.

“I see it!” Isabelle replied, jerking her controls to send her jet into an evasive roll as the missile landed above the entrance.

“Oh no…Hunk!” Isabelle shouted, vaguely aware of Lance doing the same. Isabelle’s fighter jet jostled and shook slightly in the aftershocks of the missile explosion. She stuck a finger into her ear, wiggling it a little in an attempt to stop the ringing in her ears. “Hunk,” she murmured. _Is he alright?_ She wondered. _Did he find the yellow lion? Did that explosion hurt him? Oh God Hunk please be okay. Please._

For a few moments, Isabelle couldn’t see past the dark smoke of the explosion. When she looked up, she saw that the two remaining Galra fighter jets had circled back to attack Lance again. _The explosion seems to have rattled the guys on the ground over here_ , she noted, looking up to see Lance guiding the blue lion in increasingly frantic evasive maneuvers as the Galra jets closed in on him. Isabelle growled softly under her breath, pulling a face and taking off after them. Her breath hitched as she saw Lance and the blue lion take multiple hits from one of the galra fighter jets, and begin falling out of the air.

“Oh no no no no! We’re going down! Isabelle, can you hear me? We’re going down!” Lance’s voice came over the comms again. Isabelle nodded vaguely as Lance and the blue lion crashed into a ravine.

“Yeah, I hear you, Lance! But I’m not close enough to stop your fall!” Isabelle choked out. “I can stop these other jets though,” she added, eyeing the other three jets as they swooped in on Lance’s location. Isabelle directed her fighter jet into a nose dive into the ravine after them. She fired her lasers on one the jets. One of them fired two missiles towards Lance.

Before Isabelle could react, the yellow lion erupted from the ground, sending rock and dirt debris everywhere as it ducked into a defensive position to block the blue lion from the explosion. Isabelle groaned as her jet jostled from the explosion and her ears began to ring again. She pulled her jet upwards to hover in the air as the yellow lion rushed forward out of the smoke to tackle the three Galra jets that had continued on course towards Lance. The yellow lion landed on the ground, effectively crushing the three jets. The yellow lion rose after a moment to face Isabelle’s jet.

“Wait!” she shouted, frantically pressing the radio signal button on her control panel and opening a communication line with the yellow and blue lions. “Hunk, wait! It’s me! It’s Isabelle! Don’t shoot!”

“Isabelle?” Hunk asked, shocked. “You stole that other jet? And you can _fly_ it?” Isabelle laughed in response.

“Okay, cool…” Hunk trailed off for a moment. “You okay, Lance?”

“Hunk!” Lance exclaimed. “I thought you were dead! You jumped in front of all those shots to save my life!”

“Well actually, I was trying to get out of the way,” Hunk replied. A live video of Hunk, sitting in the pilot’s seat of the yellow lion, appeared on Isabelle’s screen. She furrowed her eyebrows, searching for a similar function on her control panel. _Aha! Right there, next to the radio comms button. Nice_ , she thought. “Thankfully, what this thing lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in armor. Man, can it take a beating!” Hunk whooped.

Isabelle laughed, before noting that her screen suddenly showed several more Galra fighter jets heading towards them. The fighter jets opened fire, and laser beams suddenly shot above their heads. Isabelle watched her screen for a moment as Hunk and Lance both looked up to see what had happened.

“Uh, guys! We’ve got incoming!” Hunk exclaimed. Isabelle vaguely heard another voice speaking from Lance’s radio for a moment before her screen went blank, losing video connection with Hunk.

“Let’s get out of here!” Lance said, and Isabelle could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“What’s going on? I heard something on Lance’s end,” Isabelle said.

“Princess Allura said to hurry back!” Lance replied. “She can’t keep the wormhole open much longer.” Isabelle grimaced, risking a quick glance at her phone’s timer before swearing under her breath. _We’re out of time!_

“Alright then! You heard her, let’s go!” Isabelle stated, forcing her voice to remain steady even as she felt her heart racing in her chest. She looked around frantically, searching for the easiest way out of the ravine. She nearly laughed when she looked up to see the wormhole directly above them in the sky. “Heads up, boys! The wormhole is literally straight up!”

Isabelle pulled her controls back, tilting her fighter jet up, and pressed the thrusters’ button again, increasing speed as she shot skywards. Lance and Hunk took off as well, quickly passing her. To her mild surprise, the Galra jets did not fire on her, focusing their lasers instead on the yellow and blue lions. Isabelle winced as the yellow lion was hit, causing it to spin vertically as Hunk continued towards the wormhole.

“Ugh! Not this again!” Hunk groaned.

“Quit screwing around, Hunk! The wormhole is closing!” Lance scolded.

Isabelle scrunched her face, seeing Lance and Hunk approaching the wormhole. She hissed, urging her fighter jet faster to catch up to them. _Please! Please, please, please let’s make it. That’s all I need. Just get me through that wormhole, okay?_ Isabelle thought frantically. She laughed triumphantly as she entered the wormhole, cutting off with a soft groan as the vertigo and accompanying wave of nausea hit her.

As the wormhole spit Isabelle, Hunk, and Lance, out near the castle, Isabelle’s radio comms suddenly went blank. Hunk and Lance made confused sounds before they cut out, and Isabelle leaned forward to search the control panel in a panic, wondering what had happened. A live video suddenly opened on her screen, showing Allura, wearing a deadly serious expression.

“Attention Galra fighter,” she said. “Identify yourself and surrender immediately, or we will open fire.” Isabelle quickly pressed the video button she had found earlier, next to the one she had learned would open radio communications.

“Wait! Don’t shoot! It’s me!” she replied, seeing a small video of herself in the lower right corner of the screen. “It’s just me, it’s Isabelle.”

“Isabelle?” Allura asked incredulously. Isabelle nodded.

“Yeah…I may or may not have stolen a Galra fighter jet from the planet we landed on,” she explained, smiling sheepishly at the princess. Isabelle suddenly heard laughter in the background, a voice she immediately recognized as Shiro, and others she guessed must have been Pidge and Keith.

“What are you…going to _do_ with it?” Keith asked, moving into the video frame to give Isabelle a confused and mildly concerned look.

“I mean…I stole it, it’s mine now, so I’m keeping it,” Isabelle replied, shrugging one shoulder. Shiro scoffed another laugh, and Allura cut off video and radio communication.

A few minutes later, Isabelle, Hunk, and Lance joined the others in the castle’s control room. Hunk held the back of his head with one hand, wincing in pain. Lance rolled and rubbed at his shoulders, rolling them out. Isabelle probed gently at the side of her head near her eye and her ribs where she had been hit.

“You made it!” Allura said happily, turning around to face them. Isabelle nodded, wincing slightly as she felt the motion throbbing near her eye. _I’ll have to check that out in a mirror later, it feels like it’s going to bruise._ She noted.

“Yeah, just barely,” Lance commented, rolling his shoulder. “That was a nightmare. I almost puked out there! I felt like Hunk!” Hunk pulled a face in response.

“Think how I felt,” he added. “I _am_ Hunk.”

“Yeah,” Pidge said, sharing a knowing glance with Shiro. “We had a tough time too.” Pidge grinned mischievously and Shiro smiled. Isabelle snickered, looking between the two.

“I take it your planet wasn’t Galra occupied, was it?” she asked. Pidge shook his head, light brown hair flying into his face with the force of the motion.

“Yours was?” Shiro asked.

“How else would I have stolen a Galra fighter jet?” Isabelle replied, raising an eyebrow. Shiro hummed in response, turning to Allura.

“Did we find the Red Lion yet?” he asked her.

“Allura just located it,” Coran explained. “There’s a bit of good news and bad news.”

“Oh boy, that never goes over well,” Isabelle whispered. Pidge hummed in agreement next to her, watching Coran curiously.

“The good news is the Red Lion’s nearby,” Coran explained, twirling the end of his moustache around one finger before crossing his arms. “The bad news is, it’s onboard that Galra ship now orbiting Arus.” Isabelle curled her lip. _That means we have to get onto the Galra ship to get it. Not the best news, really,_ she thought.

“But wait! Good news again; _we’re_ Arus!” Coran exclaimed. Isabelle blanched, and the others stared at Coran in shock.

“They’re here already?” Shiro asked. _Coran that’s not good news. What happened to having a few days to prepare?_ Isabelle wondered.

“Yes…Guess my calculations were a bit off,” Coran said sheepishly.

“A bit?” Isabelle echoed with a nervous, breathless laugh.

“Finger counting—it’s more of an art than a science,” Coran said, fussing with his fingers for a moment.

The screen in front of the castle control panel began to show visual snow suddenly, causing the lighting in the room to flicker. Isabelle looked up as an image and video solidified on the screen. It showed an alien vaguely similar in appearance to the one Isabelle fought for control of the fighter jet. He had similar purple skin, large ears that were almost bat-like and furry, and one yellow eye that had no visible pupil. His other eye was covered by some sort of mechanical device. _Maybe a prosthetic eye?_ Isabelle wondered. _Not the point. Who is this? How did he contact us? And what does he want?_

“Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire.” His voice was deep and had a menacing quality. Isabelle felt her eyes widen in surprise, and she shifted on her feet before drawing herself up to her full height and staring defiantly at the alien. “I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me, or I _will_ destroy your planet.”

The alien ended the video call immediately after he finished speaking, leaving everyone in varying states of surprise and fear. For a moment, no one said anything. They all stared blankly at the screen where the video of the alien had just been. _This is it. He’s going to destroy the planet and we’re all going to die._ Isabelle felt her heart beating faster and her breath coming more quickly. _Hey…Hey now. Breathe. In and out. In…and out…_ Isabelle squared her shoulders, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths. _Steady. Refocus. You guys can handle this._

“Alright, let’s not panic,” Shiro said after a long moment. Isabelle smirked wryly. _A little late for that one, Shiro_ , she thought.

“Not panic?” Hunk asked. “Th-the scary purple alien thing is driving his battleship towards us. We only have _four_ lions—” Hunk held up four fingers.

“Technically, only three working lions,” Pidge added, making a face as he looked at Hunk.

“That’s right. Thank you, Pidge,” Hunk continued, patting Pidge’s shoulder as he moved past him. “ _Three_ working lions, and-and a castle that’s like, ten thousand years old.” Hunk gestured around them with his hands.

“Actually, it’s ten thousand, six hundred years old,” Coran interrupted. “You see, it was built by my grandfather—”

“Thanks, Coran. Thank you for that,” Hunk said, stepping in front of Coran and pressing one finger to his lips. “See? Now is the perfect time to panic!” Hunk turned to look at Shiro with a panicked, desperate look in his brown eyes. Isabelle scrunched her face slightly.

“Wait!” Allura exclaimed suddenly. “This castle has a particle barrier we can activate.”

“Girl, you’ve already activated my part—” Lance began, smirking flirtatiously.

“No!” Isabelle called, turning to stare at Lance.

“Lance,” Shiro scolded sharply from his place next to Lance. Lance looked between Isabelle and Shiro for a moment, but said nothing else.

Coran moved to stand next to Allura at the control panel. After a moment, the big screen showed what seemed like a blueprint of the Galra battleship, showing a zoomed in image of the main canon. Allura stood, staring worriedly at the screen, her hands tightly folded in front of her. Isabelle could practically feel the nervous energy in the room coming from the others, and she folded one arm across her chest, raising one hand to close in a fist in front of her mouth

“The particle barrier won’t hold Sendak’s ion canon forever. The Galra technology must have advanced since we fought them last,” Coran said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“Panic now?” Hunk asked.

“No. We’ve just got to figure out our plan of action…and figure it out quickly,” Shiro replied quickly. Isabelle frowned. She could hear an edge to Shiro’s voice, in his clipped tone. He was nervous too. _But we’re the senior officers here. These kids are going to look to us for the answers. If we’re visibly nervous, they’ll all lose their shit,_ Isabelle thought, squaring her shoulders and studying the blueprint of the Galra battleship in front of her.

“I say we pop through a wormhole and live to fight another day,” Lance suggested.

“I second that. Yes. I mean, we tried to find all the lions, right? We gave it the old college try. Couldn’t do it. We only have three, so we can’t form Voltron…” Hunk trailed off. “I mean, I guess we could form a snake. Or a worm? To go through that hole, Lance, that you were talking about.”

“Then it’s settled,” Lance said, stepping forward to stand next to Allura. Isabelle raised her eyebrows. _That’s…not a plausible long-term plan. What happens when Sendak tracks us down again?_ “Allura, you ride with me. One of you take the old guy.” Lance nodded towards Coran, who glowered at him.

“We can’t just abandon Arus!” Pidge argued. “The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them.”

“And what’s to stop Sendak from tracking us down again if we run?” Isabelle added.

“Okay…If we run, then maybe Sendak will follow us and leave this place alone. Like when we left Earth!” Hunk added hopefully. “We form the snake-worm thingamajig and we—” Hunk paused to make a hissing sound effect, slithering his arms to mimic a snake. “On out of here!” Isabelle shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s going to work this time,” she said.

“Sendak could destroy the planet and then come after us anyway,” Keith said.

“And now we have three working lions, not just one. And if the Red Lion is on Sendak’s ship, that accounts for all of them, and the Black Lion will be able to work too. Sendak…will be able to form Voltron if they capture us. He won’t let us get away as easily as we got away from Earth,” Isabelle added. Keith glanced at her.

“Staying is our only option,” Keith finished. 

“Here’s an option; shut your quiznak,” Lance said, miming zipping his lips with one hand. Allura and Coran both stared in shock at Lance.

“I don’t think you’re using that word correctly,” Keith responded. _Definitely not, if it means what I think it does,_ Isabelle thought, looking again at Allura and Coran’s stunned reactions.

“What do you know, mullet?” Lance asked. Keith stepped forward to stand toe to toe with Lance.

“We’re staying!” Keith snapped.

“Leaving!” Lance argued.

“Staying!” Pidge yelled.

“Snake!” Hunk suggested.

“Guys! That’s enough!” Isabelle yelled over the rising volume of the room. The four cadets turned to look at her. Shiro stood next to her, looking as if he was about to say the same thing. The others stepped away from each other immediately, but still glared or narrowed their eyes at one another.

“Princess Allura, these are _your_ lions. You’ve dealt with the Galra Empire before. You know what we’re facing better than any of us,” Shiro said, looking up at Allura. “What do you think is the best course of action?” Allura knit her eyebrows, frowning slightly. She seemed confused and uncertain. Isabelle’s stance softened, and she slumped her shoulders slightly. _I can’t fault her for that…This is a lot to process. I can’t imagine what she’s feeling right now. But we really don’t have a lot of time._ Isabelle thought.

“I…I don’t know,” Allura said, looking down.

“Perhaps your father can help,” Coran said gently, turning towards Allura.

“My father?” she asked haltingly. Coran nodded.

“Come with me, Princess,” he said, beckoning for Allura to follow him. Coran and Allura left the control room, leaving the others behind in a confused and awkward silence.

“What now?” Pidge asked.

“We’ll...wait for them to get back. See what Princess Allura has to say when they do,” Isabelle replied, furrowing her eyebrows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

The doors suddenly opened with a mechanical hiss, and Isabelle spun around to see Coran and Allura re-enter the castle’s control room. Isabelle felt the atmosphere of the room change as the group looked at Allura. She had changed clothes. The long, flowing dress she had worn before was replaced by silver-white armor with pink accents. Her long white hair was now tied back into a bun. _It’s tied up functionally. Out of her way. Much harder for someone to grab onto too. I’ll have to put mine up before we get down to business._ Isabelle thought, rolling her shoulders and absently running her fingers through her curls.

Allura stood in front of the group, tall, proud, and fiercely determined. Isabelle nodded slightly, smiling in admiration of the princess. She noted that the golden circlet Allura had worn when they met her was still resting on her forehead, the blue-green jewel glittering in the light. Allura looked slowly around the room, locking eyes for a moment with each of them before she spoke.

“You five paladins were brought here for a reason,” she said. “We must fight, and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon. It is our destiny. Voltron is the universe’s only hope. _We_ are the universe’s only hope.”

Isabelle squared her shoulders, drawing herself up to her full height, trying not to wince as her ribs protested with the movement. She glanced sideways at her friends. Shiro had adopted a similarly serious and determined stance, and the cadets looked around at each other, confused for a moment, before taking in Isabelle and Shiro. Isabelle watched with a mixed sensation of pride and vague anxiety as the others slowly turned to face Allura, now just as determined to take up the fight with her. _We can do this,_ Isabelle told herself. _We have to. The universe…in a much larger sense than I thought that word would ever mean…It needs Voltron. And it looks like Voltron needs us._ Shiro looked to Isabelle for a moment, and they nodded to each other. _I’m in if you are. We’re in this together._

“We’re with you, Princess,” Shiro responded.

“Good.” Allura nodded, turning to leave the room again and beckoning them to follow her.

Allura led the group out of the castle’s control room and down a few hallways. Isabelle took note of the turns they made, and other rooms they passed, trying to feel out the layout of the castle. _Yeah, no…I’m going to get lost down here,_ she thought. The group entered a room with five chambers that resembled the healing pods Allura and Coran had woken up in, and the lights turned on as they entered. There was another door near the back that Isabelle guessed was some sort of locker room.

As the lights in each pod came on, Isabelle noted that in this room there only seemed to be five suits of armor. Each one was the same silver-white of the armor Allura now wore, but the accent colors were different, and matched the colors of the Voltron Lions. Isabelle frowned internally. _What am I supposed to do? Where did Allura’s armor come from, and is there any more?_ She wondered.

“Your suits of armor,” Allura said. Keith, Shiro, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all murmured in awe and excitement as they approached the pods, admiring the armor. Hunk shifted uncomfortably, measuring with his hands the size of the armor against his own size. Isabelle winced slightly. _I hope he can get that adjusted somehow. Or that there’s more armor for him._

Allura and Coran stood back from the group, whispering among themselves for a moment. Isabelle stood off to the side, smiling at her friends’ excitement. Once she heard Coran and Allura’s whispering stop, she cautiously approached, smiling and waving slightly.

“Excuse me, Princess?” Isabelle asked. “I…I couldn’t help but notice that only the Voltron paladins’ armor is in this particular room. Is there another locker room somewhere, or anywhere there might be armor that would fit me?”

“Oh! Not to worry, Isabelle! The castle has a fully stocked armory with all sorts of armor, and any weaponry you might need,” Coran answered. Allura nodded as he spoke.

“I’m sure we have something that will fit you,” she added. Isabelle smiled gratefully, nodding her thanks.

“Boys, it’s time to suit up!” Shiro announced, resting his hands on his hips.

“Uh…Is there a changing room somewhere?” Pidge called.

“Oh!” Allura exclaimed. “Yes, Pidge! Through that door in the back, each of the original paladins had a private changing room. You are more than welcome to use them,” she answered.

“Cool! Thanks!” Pidge replied, taking the green armor from its pod and making for the changing room.

“Isabelle, if you’d come with me, I’ll show you to the rest of the armory,” Allura said, turning to Isabelle.

“Please,” Isabelle smiled.

Allura led Isabelle out of the paladins’ armory, and a little farther down the same hall. The room they entered was structured similarly, with armor pods along the walls, a door leading to what Isabelle assumed was another changing room, and a separate section of the room dedicated to racks of various kinds of weapons. Isabelle walked down the row of armor on one side, humming softly as she sized up each set, mentally measuring them against her body to guess if it would fit.

Each set of armor closely resembled that of Allura and the paladins in that they were all the same silver-white color, with accent colors on different markings, or around the armor at the joints. Isabelle paused in front of a suit with accent colors in black and purple. It looked to be about her size. _I wonder why the accent colors are different…I know the paladins’ armor has them in the colors of the lions, but is there a significance to the colors on this armor? Is it just a personal preference?_ Isabelle wondered, tilting her head curiously as she looked at the armor before her.

“Princess Allura?” Isabelle called, turning to look over her shoulder in search of Allura. She stood a few feet back, watching Isabelle in case she needed help. “Is there a significance to the other colors on the armor? Yours, for example…” Isabelle paused, gesturing to Allura’s armor with its pink accents. “Is pink a significant color or do you just like it?” she asked. Allura was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. “I’m not trying to be rude!” Isabelle added quickly, bringing her hands up placatingly in front of her. “I was just curious.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about that, it’s not rude at all!” Allura replied. “In my case, pink is an important color. In Altean culture it represents mourning, and remembrance of fallen warriors,” she explained. Isabelle nodded solemnly.

“What about purple, or black? I’d hate to wear colors that accidentally say something offensive in color-coded language,” Isabelle replied after a moment.

“No, there’s nothing particularly significant about those colors. Not on this armor, anyway,” Allura answered. “Does it…mean something significant where you’re from?” she asked. Isabelle shook her head in response.

“No…not really,” she said softly, brushing her hair back from her face. “I _think_ this armor would fit me though, and I’d like to try it on.”

“Please, feel free. You can wear anything in here that fits you.” Allura gestured towards the door at the back, and Isabelle took the purple and black armor out of the pod, smiling gratefully at Allura before heading to the changing room.

Along one wall of the changing room was a counter, with mirrors above it on the wall. Isabelle paused as she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and leaned on the countertop to study herself for a moment. The fight she had gotten into so Hunk could get to the entrance of the mine on the planet they retrieved the Yellow Lion from had given her a black eye. The pain had subsided, Isabelle noted as she gingerly probed around her eye. The bruise, however, was darkening purple and blue, and the green irises of her eyes looked stark and haunting in comparison.

Isabelle curled her lip before pulling her shirt over her head to look at the bruises she knew must also be forming on her ribs, wincing as she lifted her arm overhead. Slowly, she twisted her upper body so she could see more of her ribs in the mirror, inhaling sharply at the pain it caused. There was a small bruise forming on the right side, and Isabelle nodded once, humming thoughtfully. _Not as bad as I thought. At some point later I’ll get some ice on my eye, and take some painkillers if my ribs keep bothering me_ , she told herself. The armor fit perfectly, once Isabelle figured out how to get it on. She grinned at herself in the mirror once she was dressed. 

“Now how are we doing _this?_ ” she muttered, glancing between the helmet that sat on the counter and her reflection in the mirror, running a hand through her hair. Isabelle hummed to herself, raking her hands through her hair to gather it at the back of her head. She braided it tightly for an inch or two before wrapping the rest into a low bun and tucking it into the helmet as she put it on. _Okay, that’ll work for now…I have got to put it up for real before we do anything serious, this isn’t going to stay, and now it’s annoying me._

The others were all dressed in their armor when Allura and Isabelle returned. Allura approached a control panel counter near the entrance of the room, and Isabelle stood near Shiro and Pidge. She nudged Shiro playfully with her elbow as she came to stand next to him. Shiro turned to look at her, smiling softly.

“Purple, huh?” he whispered.

“Purple and black. Look, we almost match,” Isabelle replied. Shiro chuckled, and Pidge sidled up next to them.

“Well Shiro’s flying the Black Lion, so it makes sense that he has the black armor,” Pidge added. “And you’re both the oldest and therefore most responsible of the group, and the authority figures for the most part. So, if you match, you’re like…Space mom and dad.” Shiro chuckled again, smiling fondly at Pidge.

“Nooo,” Isabelle drawled, chuckling and shaking her head. Pidge snickered, and Isabelle nudged him with her elbow.

Allura cleared her throat then, drawing everyone’s attention to where she stood at the front of the room near the control panel. She placed her hand on the center of the panel and the glass retracted, revealing four small handheld, almost crescent-shaped weapons in red, blue, yellow, and green.

“The bayard is the traditional weapon of the paladins of Voltron,” Allura explained. The bayards floated from the counter to each of their respective paladins. “It takes a distinct shape for each paladin.”

As Hunk, Keith, Lance, and Pidge each took their bayards from the air, the weapons transformed. Isabelle raised her eyebrows, watching curiously. Hunk yelled in surprise as his bayard turned into a large, heavy gun that required both hands to hold it. Keith’s turned into a sword, and the armored mechanism on his wrist blinked for a moment before a shield appeared in his other hand. Lance’s bayard also turned into a gun, smaller, lighter, and more portable than Hunk’s. Lance whooped, bringing it up to hold near his face, testing it out. Pidge’s bayard became a bladed weapon, compact and handheld. Isabelle tilted her head curiously, watching Pidge slash the weapon through the air a few times, smiling.

“Aw, you got a cute little bayard,” Lance commented. Pidge jabbed the bayard into Lance’s side, and Lance yelled in pain, falling over, groaning.

“Yeah, it is pretty cute,” Pidge said, smirking. Isabelle raised her eyebrows.

“As cool as that thing is—and it’s really cool, I kind of want one—how about we don’t taser our teammates anymore? Come on guys, I _know_ you have weapons safety training, and I think I taught it to all of you.” Isabelle remarked, reaching to give Lance a hand as he stumbled back to his feet.

“Shiro, I’m afraid your bayard was lost with its paladin,” Allura explained, looking apologetically up at Shiro.

“I guess I’ll just have to make do,” Shiro replied. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows.

“There’s an armory down the hall,” she added, looking to Shiro and jerking her thumb towards the door. 

“We’ll have to check it out,” he replied. Isabelle smirked, nodding once.

The group soon left the paladins’ armory. As they passed the main armory, Isabelle subtly nudged Shiro and nodded towards the armory to let him know where it was. Shiro nodded once, smiling at her. The group then gathered back in the control room of the castle, soon joined by Coran, and Allura pulled up the blueprints of Sendak’s ship again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“You’ll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak’s ship,” Allura explained. Isabelle hummed, studying the image on the screen in front of them. It was a large battleship, similar to the one they had faced when they left Earth. _How many people would be on this thing? How would we sneak on or off without being caught?_ she thought. _Hmm. We can’t attack head on, we’d get caught and captured immediately. And we don’t know the internal layout of the ship well enough to use that as a cover for sneaking in…And I’m not sure we could fight our way out of that one if we did…We’d have to take a two-pronged approach. Someone will have to act as a distraction, keep Sendak occupied and preferably not shooting at them. Then maybe Keith and the rest of us would be able to sneak on from a different direction…But what about that ion cannon that Princess Allura and Coran were worried about? We should take that out if we can, but how?_

“That’s a pretty big ship,” Keith commented, startling Isabelle out of her thoughts. “How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?”

“Well, it’s not a matter of _we_ , it’s a matter of _you_ ,” Pidge said, turning to look at Keith and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Pidge is right,” Hunk added. “Once we get you in, you’ll be able to _feel_ its presence and like, track it down,” he clarified, miming the actions with his hands.

“Yeah! You know how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, you made fun of me for that,” Keith said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“And I’m proud of that. But it turns out it’s exactly like that mumbo-jumbo,” Lance finished. Keith looked doubtful, glancing over towards Shiro and Isabelle. Isabelle pulled a face.

“Don’t look at me, man. I haven’t felt anything like that, so I can’t help you there,” she told him apologetically.

“Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You’ll have to _earn_ its respect,” Allura said. Keith nodded once, knitting his eyebrows into a determined expression. Shiro rested a hand on Keith’s shoulder, as if reassuring him.

“Alright, here’s our plan of attack,” Shiro said. “The Galra Empire knows about the Blue and Yellow Lions, but they _don’t_ know we have the Green Lion too. Hunk, Lance, you’ll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourselves up. While Sendak is distracted, Keith, Pidge, Isabelle, and I will sneak onto the ship in the Green Lion. Keith and I will find the Red Lion while Pidge and Isabelle guard our exit. Hunk, Lance, find some way to take down that ion cannon.” As Shiro finished, he looked up to make eye contact with Isabelle. “Any input, Captain?” he asked, and Isabelle could almost hear the smirk in his voice, though his face remained serious.

“You know we studied battle strategy together _when_ ,” she muttered to Shiro. “But no. I was going to suggest the same plan,” she said, approaching the diagram of the Galra battle cruiser on the ship’s main screen.

“How exactly are we going to sneak onto the ship?” Pidge asked. Isabelle smirked slightly.

“I have an idea about that. Hunk and Lance are going to approach from the front, drawing attention to themselves and their mock-surrender—" Isabelle paused as Keith snickered and muttered something under his breath about Lance drawing attention to himself no matter what he did. Isabelle shot him a pointed look over her shoulder before continuing. She pointed to the underside of the ship on the diagram as she spoke. “We should sneak onto the ship from underneath. Land on the underside of the ship and make our way in from there. It might be the only place they wouldn’t have as many guards or cameras, if any at all—which makes it the perfect place for us to sneak in from. They’re not expecting it,” Isabelle finished, tracing her finger up from the bottom of the ship. She felt the eyes of the whole team on her when she was done, and she saw Pidge nodding from the corner of her eye. “Any questions?” she asked, turning around to face the team. None of the paladins said anything. Hunk and Lance shook their heads vigorously.

“You know we studied battle strategy together when…” Shiro whispered to her. Isabelle snickered slightly, rolling her eyes. “Alright team, let’s move out.”

* * *

In the Green Lion, Pidge, Shiro, Keith, and Isabelle split formation with the Blue and Yellow Lions long before they neared Sendak’s battleship, in order to approach from the side. When they reached the ship, Pidge flew the lion under the ship, landing upside down on the bottom. The four left the lion, using the jetpacks on their armor to hover outside while Pidge cut a hole in the bottom of the ship with his bayard. Slowly, they made their way through a short tunnel, lowering themselves down onto the floor in the main body of the ship.

“Pidge what’s your ETA?” Lance asked over radio comms.

“We’re in,” Pidge replied.

The hallway they had landed in led out to another, larger hall. Keith peered around the corner before stepping out into the space, followed by Shiro. Pidge crouched at the corner on the intersection, watching for guards. Isabelle stood across from Pidge, waving for his attention. She gestured between them with her thumb and index finger, watching the hallway at Pidge’s back. Pidge nodded, turning to look down the hall where Isabelle couldn’t see. A sudden panicked groan from Shiro drew everyone’s attention.

“I’ve been here before,” Shiro told them. “After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here.”

“So, that means your other crew members, they might be held captive here?” Pidge asked. “We-we’ve got to rescue them!” Shiro scrunched his face, looking pained.

“Pidge, we don’t have time. We have to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus,” he said, turning to face Pidge.

“But we can’t just _leave_ prisoners here!” Pidge exclaimed, pointing down the hall with one hand.

“Look, no one understands that more than me, but in war, we have to make hard choices,” Shiro responded, his expression turning to one of regret. Isabelle frowned. _I hate to leave prisoners here too, but we don’t have the resources to help right now,_ she thought resignedly.

“If there are any prisoners on this ship,” Isabelle started, cautiously looking between Pidge and Shiro. “We have a better chance of helping them once we have all five lions. I’m sure Sendak will attack us on Arus anyway, and we’ll have much better odds of beating him there once we can form Voltron. We can help any prisoners then.”

“Captain Rivera is right. Now let’s get moving,” Shiro added.

“No!” Pidge yelled suddenly. Shiro, Isabelle, and Keith all turned towards him. Isabelle raised her eyebrows. “Commander Holt is my father,” he said softly. “He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos mission with you.”

“Commander Holt is your father?” Shiro asked. Isabelle bit her lip, her heart twisting painfully. Pidge’s position made much more sense now. Isabelle would have done the same in Pidge’s place.

“Yes. I’ve been searching _everywhere_ for him and my brother, and I’m not going to give up looking when I’m this close. I won’t!” Pidge exclaimed, voice cracking slightly. Isabelle could hear the pain in Pidge’s voice. She knew that pain intimately, she had felt it eleven years ago when her mother had gone missing. It hit her all of a sudden that she had been the same age as Pidge. 

“I’m coming with you!” Isabelle said before she could think better of it.

“I’m going with you too,” Shiro added immediately.

“What?” Keith asked, looking at Shiro, concerned.

“I remember where the prisoners are held,” Shiro explained. “Keith, you go find the Red Lion.”

“By myself?” Keith asked, looking uncertain. Isabelle bit her lip, torn between going to search for prisoners with Pidge and Shiro and staying with Keith.

“Minor change of plans. You’ll be fine,” Shiro assured him. Keith looked doubtful. “Just remember, patience yields focus,” Shiro said. Isabelle turned to look down the hall as a mechanical hissing sound signaled that a door at the end of the hall had opened. She cursed under her breath.

“Run!” Isabelle hissed, taking Pidge’s arm and turning down the closest hallway.

Shiro pushed Keith down another hallway before running after Isabelle and Pidge. The three ran, turning down another hallway where the glowing lights inset in the wall changed from purple to green. At the intersection at the end of the hall, a small, triangular hovering drone flew at eye level to Isabelle and Shiro, stopping and turning towards them. _Oh, now that sucks. We’re caught._ Isabelle thought, sizing up the drone and its markings lit in red. Pidge pressed a button on his wrist and fired what seemed like radio interference at the drone. It dropped to the floor immediately.

“That thing saw us, we should get out of here,” Shiro said. Pidge had rushed forward to begin reworking the wires of the drone.

“Wait, I think this might come in handy,” Pidge replied, continuing to work at the drone for another moment.

“Are you… _reprogramming_ it?” Isabelle asked haltingly, eyebrows raised.

“Uh huh…Now I’ll just reset the controls,” Pidge said absently. The drone lit up again, but the lights and marks on it now glowed blue, like the light from the Altean technology on the castle. “And it’s working for us! I’m gonna call you Rover. Follow me!”

Shiro took off as soon as the drone was back up, moving a few feet ahead to peer around the corner, checking for guards. Isabelle and Pidge scrambled to follow him.

“Hey…Do you think you could do that on a larger scale?” Isabelle asked as they ran through the corridors of the ship after Shiro. “We have a whole Galra fighter jet back at the castle for you to play around with if you can.” Isabelle quirked an eyebrow at Pidge

“That’s right! You stole one, didn’t you?” Pidge turned his head to look at her. “I think I can reprogram that thing, yeah. Maybe even get it to speak English for you.” Isabelle laughed.

“That would be fantastic, actually,” she said. 

Shiro stopped in front of a door, running his hand up the side looking for a handle. Isabelle scrunched her face. The door had no visible handles or other mechanism that would open it, only a small slot at eye level that someone could see through. She scanned the door again, wondering if there was a hidden locking mechanism they could pick, or maybe break. Pidge glanced at Rover.

“Open up,” he told the drone. It flew to the opposite side of the door where Shiro and Isabelle stood, shining a small laser at the wall. A touch screen appeared and blinked a few times before the door slid open.

“Excellent, Pidge,” Shiro complimented, smirking. Isabelle looked towards the now-open door. Several aliens sat huddled together in the cell, and they whimpered softly as the door opened. They all wore the same tattered dark grey uniforms. Isabelle felt her heart clench in her chest, a wave of sadness washing over her. They cowered as the group entered the cell. _Someone hurt these people. These prisoners have been tortured,_ she realized, her sadness quickly overtaken by anger, and she set her jaw.

“Dad?” Pidge called as he entered. Isabelle shook her head slightly. None of the prisoners here was human. One had a distinctly reptilian appearance, with red skin and a head that seemed dinosaur-like to Isabelle. Another stood tall and skinny, with multiple sets of short arms. Yet another had bright yellow skin, with six antennae and one eye.

“Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you escape,” Shiro said.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Isabelle added, raising her hands slightly, her palms open towards the prisoners. “We’re here to help.”

“It’s you,” one of the prisoners said. Their voice was rough and gravelly, with a weary edge that made Isabelle wonder how long they had been imprisoned. They had pale skin, hair nearly the same color, and one antenna with an orange spot at the top of their head. “It’s you, the Champion. If anyone can get us out of here, he can.” The others in the cell turned towards the one who had spoken, and then looked at Shiro.

“Wh-What did you call me?” Shiro asked.

“We don’t have much time,” Pidge interrupted, turning back from where he had been guarding the exit. Rover hovered farther ahead of Pidge. “Let’s get to the escape pods.”

“Let’s go. Come on!” Shiro said, ushering the prisoners out of the cell. The tall, red, dinosaur-esque alien was the last to leave the cell, helping the others out first. They stumbled as they tried to walk, and Isabelle rushed forward to help steady them.

“Take it easy, I gotchu,” she said softly.

The alien startled slightly, looking down at Isabelle with panicked expression. She watched the alien’s face as her words sank in, and they relaxed, nodding and smiling weakly. Isabelle brought one of their arms over her shoulder and wrapped her own around the alien’s back, bearing some of their weight and helping support them as the group ran through the corridors of the ship again, following Shiro’s memory to the escape pods. Isabelle’s free hand reached to the belt of her armor, checking its holster for the small blaster she had gotten from the castle’s armory before they left. She would be more than ready to use it if they came across any guards. _I gotchu_ , she thought, glancing at the alien she was helping walk. _I gotchu. You’re all getting out of here today, I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends, sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapter up. I had some computer issues and ended up having to get a whole new laptop. But! Here we go, chapter ten! Leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Shiro led the group through the corridors of the ship, eventually coming to a docking and loading bay with multiple escape pods. He rushed forward, opening one and readying it for the prisoners. The red dinosaur-like alien was eventually able to walk a short distance on their own, leaning off of Isabelle. She stayed nearby, bringing up the rear of the group. Shiro waved them over once he had opened the pod. Pidge skidded to a stop, as well, turning back to lock eyes with Isabelle.

“Go! Go go! Get on the pod,” Isabelle urged them, waving towards the pod. The prisoners rushed for the pod, and the red dinosaur-like alien pushed off from Isabelle, running the last short distance on their own.

“Hurry!” Pidge called.

“Halt!” A mechanical voice sounded.

Pidge and Isabelle gasped, turning to look as several robotic guards rushed towards them. Isabelle and Shiro rushed to Pidge’s side as they approached, and out of the corner of her eye Isabelle saw the last of the prisoners board the escape pod. Isabelle scanned the area quickly. _One, two, three…Seven. Okay, there’s seven robots and three of us. I don’t like those odds, but I’ll take them,_ Isabelle thought. Shiro grunted, stepping back into a fighting stance and bringing his hands up. Isabelle did the same, reaching back for her blaster with one hand, the other in a defensive position near her face. Shiro’s mechanical arm suddenly began to glow, and he groaned in pain suddenly before dropping to his knees.

“Shiro! What’s wrong?” Pidge asked. Shiro didn’t answer, and the guards closed in on them. Isabelle growled, drawing her blaster and firing at the closest guard. A bright blue laser beam shot from the gun, leaving a smoldering hole in the robot’s chest. Isabelle cocked her head slightly. _Come and get me._ She thought, aiming her weapon again and shooting another guard.

At that moment, Shiro shot to his feet, charging the guards. One of them fired on him, but he deflected the beam with his metal arm, striking at the guards with it as he fought through four of them. Whatever technology it had been made with was able to slice through the metal robots easily. Isabelle noticed another guard approaching Pidge, who was shocked at Shiro’s actions and standing still in this middle of it all. Isabelle turned, stepping forward to put herself between Pidge and the guard, and blasted a laser into its chest. Behind her, Shiro was able to send a beam of laser-like energy from his arm at a guard he had gotten into a stalemate with. Pidge watched them both with wide eyes for a moment, before they heard the escape pod leaving the deck. The three of them turned to watch the pod slowly moving into the airlock.

“Thank you, Shiro,” the pale alien said as the door slid closed behind them.

“Wait! How do you…?” Shiro asked, trailing off as the escape pod left. Pidge playfully punched at Shiro’s shoulder.

“Shiro, that was amazing! Where did you learn how to fight with that?” he asked. Shiro looked down at his metal arm thoughtfully.

“No idea,” he replied, clenching his hand into a fist. _He said he didn’t remember much after he was taken from Kerberos…But he can fight with that arm almost instinctually. And one of those aliens called him the Champion…Champion of what though? Do…Do the Galra have some sort of gladiatorial combat games?_ Isabelle wondered. She screwed her lip to one side, making a face as a shiver ran down her spine. She shook her head as if to dislodge the unpleasant train of thought.

“Come on, guys. We should get out of here,” Isabelle said after a moment. “We did what we came to do, and I’m sure Keith has found the Red Lion by now.”

“You’re right,” Shiro said, still sounding distant and troubled. “Let’s go.”

The three left the bay, making their way back where they had come from, through corridors that glowed with purple lights set in the walls. Pidge’s repurposed Rover hovered behind them, beeping every once in a while. Isabelle smiled.

“I can’t believe you named it Rover,” she said as they came to the hallway they had snuck onto the ship in.

“Yeah! It’s cute!” Pidge replied. “See if I don’t name your fighter jet once I trick it out for you, Captain.” Isabelle laughed.

“You can just call me Isabelle, you know. We’re not at the Garrison anymore, and if we’re going to be a universe-defending team, there’s no real need for formalities,” she said. “Unless you piss me off. Then it’s Captain Rivera.”

Shiro scoffed a short laugh behind her, and she turned over her shoulder to grin playfully at him as the three made their way back to the Green Lion and took off. Once they were outside the ship, Isabelle noticed that the Red Lion was flying as well. She hummed, looking around to see the Yellow and Blue Lions also nearby. The ion cannon at the top of the ship ha the metal pieces at the end of the barrel crushed shut. Isabelle smirked.

“You guys made it!” Hunk exclaimed over the comms.

“Kitty Rose has left the stage!” Pidge said, looking at the Red Lion.

“Let’s get the heck out of here,” Lance added.

“I hope I stopped that cannon,” Hunk mused. “I could barely make a dent in it.”

“I’m sure you did fine,” Isabelle assured him. “Besides, if you go and jinx us, I might have to smack you,” she joked.

“Smack him?” Lance laughed.

“Well what I _really_ wanted to say was that if he jinxed us, I’d have to kick his ass. But! If I’m _Space Mom_ now, according to Pidge—” Isabelle paused to nudge Pidge with her elbow. “I have to set a good example by you know, _not_ swearing in front of my space kids...Not swearing _too much_ in front of my space kids, anyway.” Shiro laughed as the others grumbled about being called kids. Isabelle laughed at this and shared a look with Shiro before casually reminding Lance, Hunk, Keith, and Pidge that she and Shiro were twenty-five, at least seven years older than the oldest of the rest of them.

“And I’m nine days older than Shiro too,” Isabelle said slyly, glancing sideways at Shiro and grinning mischievously.

“And she’s never let me forget it,” Shiro added.

* * *

Once they returned to the castle, Allura directed them to land in a separate docking bay, in front of a closed and locked hangar that presumably held the Black Lion. Isabelle remained in the Green Lion with Pidge, while Shiro walked out and stood alone in front of the door to the hangar. Isabelle watched as each of the lions’ eyes lit up yellow in turn. She turned her green eyes to Shiro on the ground. Even from this distance, Isabelle could tell her long-time friend was nervous, uncertain. His shoulders were tense and his stance somewhat defensive. Isabelle leaned forward onto the back of Pidge’s seat, resting her elbow on the back of the seat and her chin on her hand.

The door of the hangar slowly began to glow blue, and the door slid open to reveal the Black Lion. It was significantly larger than the other lions. The team watched with bated breath as the lion’s eyes lit up yellow, and it stood up to its full, impressive size and roared loudly. Isabelle laughed triumphantly, but soon felt a slightly uneasy, tingling sensation, as if she was being watched. The hair at the back of her neck stood on edge. It was as if the Black Lion’s eyes were following her, even from where she stood in the Green Lion with Pidge. Isabelle frowned slightly.

_You are close to him, good friends who have seen each other through hardships the others do not know of. A day will come where they need another leader, if only briefly. In that hour of greatest need, you and I will fly. But not yet._ Isabelle heard—or maybe felt? It seemed like a bit of both—a voice in the back of her head. It was a low, but distinctly feminine voice. It felt comforting, but firm and unwavering at the same time. Isabelle gasped slightly, her eyes locked on the Black Lion, where it had knelt down to be eye level with Shiro.

_What is this? Are-Are you the Black Lion? Why can I hear you? I thought Shiro was supposed to be your pilot and your paladin, not me!_ Isabelle thought wildly. The tingling sensation, however, was gone. The connection she had felt with the Black Lion’s presence was gone. Isabelle wracked her brain, searching for something to connect her to the Black Lion again, ask what was happening. But she felt nothing.

Alarms began blaring suddenly, and Isabelle jumped, startled from her thoughts. Red lights flashed overhead, and Allura’s voice suddenly came over the castle’s PA system.

“Sendak is entering the Arusian atmosphere! We need Voltron _now!"_ she exclaimed.

“Pidge, you gotta get back with the others to form Voltron, but let me out first,” Isabelle said, turning to the Green Paladin. Pidge looked back at her uncertainly.

“Isabelle are you sure? Are you sure we can form Voltron right now?” Pidge asked. Isabelle bit her lip for a moment, weighing her options, as Pidge lowered the Green Lion’s head to let her out.

“I believe in you guys,” Isabelle said. “Now, I’m going to go see if I can get my stolen Galra jet up and running again. We’ll have to play around with it later.” She paused, smirking up at Pidge. “You guys can do this. I’ll see you out there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm yelling all of this is still episode one of the show. We really out here. Anyway, please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle ran from the Black Lion’s hangar, stumbling slightly with the force of the lions taking off behind her. The alarm system had stopped, and the halls were eerily quiet as Isabelle made for the main docking bay where she had landed the Galra jet. The only sound was her boots hitting the ground and echoing through the empty halls. After a few moments she heard distant explosions that must have come from the team battling Sendak’s ships.

The ground shook violently, and Isabelle stumbled, pitching forward. She tucked her chin and rolled, pulling herself up to a kneel as the castle shook for another moment. _What the hell was that? Sendak’s ion cannon is probably the only thing that could have done that to the castle’s shields…But didn’t we disable the ion cannon? Did Sendak get it up and running again?_ She wondered. The fear that the ion cannon was operational again sent adrenaline coursing through her body. She hauled herself up and sprinted to the docking bay, finally reaching her stolen Galra fighter jet.

Isabelle sat in the pilot’s seat of the fighter jet, scanning for any sort of power button. There was nothing, none of the lights on the dashboard or control panel were on. Isabelle tapped the dashboard hesitantly, hoping it would react like a touch screen device and boot up. A small hand lit up in red at the center of the dashboard, and Isabelle frowned. _Handprint recognition?_ She wondered, placing her hand on the dashboard over the lights. Nothing happened, the ship remained powered down. Isabelle pulled a face, pressing her hand to the control panel again. After a few more tries, she switched hands, pressing her left hand to the control panel.

The castle shook again, nearly toppling Isabelle from her seat. Isabelle had no doubt now that the blasts had come from the ion cannon. She steadied herself and frantically tried to power up the jet, pressing her hand to the handprint scanner a few more times before trying the ship’s controls.

“Come on! Come on, come on! Please!” Isabelle pleaded, groaning loudly in frustration. The castle continued to take fire, and Isabelle could only imagine how rough it was outside where the others were fighting in their lions. _Come on! Work with me! The team needs me out there!_

Isabelle let out a short cry, fighting back tears of anger and frustration. _Okay, okay. Think, Isabelle. If the jet won’t start, what else can you do to help? Get upstairs, go see what’s going on with Coran and Allura. They must have a better idea right about now,_ she told herself. Nodding, she got out of the jet, taking off upstairs in the direction of the castle’s control room. After a few wrong turns, and short instances of panic when she got lost, and nearly falling as the castle was hit with a third blast from the ion cannon, Isabelle threw open the doors to the control room.

“What’s going on out there? I can’t get the Galra jet I stole to work, so I’m grounded.” she said, approaching the control panel Allura was standing at.

“It seems Sendak managed to the ion cannon functioning again. Our defensive barrier gets weaker with every blast, and without it the castle is defenseless,” Coran said. Isabelle pulled a face, looking out the window to see the lions flying together.

“They haven’t been able to form Voltron yet,” she murmured.

“Quickly paladins! Our energy levels are getting low,” Allura said into the video she had pulled up on the control panel’s main screen.

“And unfortunately, I can’t get out there to help you guys. Can’t get the Galra jet to work,” Isabelle called. She heard Shiro groan in frustration from the other end of the line, and she pulled a face.

Outside, the lions took off from the ground, flying together in formation. Several Galra fighter jets flew nearby, continually firing at the lions. After a few moments, Isabelle saw the lions being drawn towards Sendak’s main ship by a tractor beam. She did not have much time to process that, or lament that she could do nothing to help, as the castle was hit by another blast from the ion cannon. Isabelle was knocked off her feet with the force of it, and she vaguely registered that the castle’s defenses had been brought down by the latest blast.

Isabelle struggled to her feet again after a long few moments, shaking her head and gently waving off Coran when he offered an arm to help her. Allura pressed a few buttons on her control panel, and suddenly the image zoomed in on the team. They had formed Voltron, and the giant robot stood on the ground facing down Sendak’s battleship. Isabelle gasped softly, grinning brightly and letting out a loud, delighted cheer. _They did it! I knew they could do it!_ She thought.

With the combined power of the five lions forming Voltron, the team made relatively quick work of Sendak’s battleship. After a few more minutes of fighting, the battleship exploded, and Voltron landed on the ground outside the castle, completely unscathed. Isabelle raised her eyebrows in shock. _Wow…Allura wasn’t kidding about that whole strongest weapon in the universe thing, huh? Damn._ She thought. As soon as Voltron landed, Allura rushed out of the control room, up to the main doors of the castle. Coran and Isabelle shared a look before following after her, running outside to meet the others as they got out of their lions.

“Good work, paladins!” Allura exclaimed, clasping her hands together in front of her and smiling brightly.

“Thanks, pretty lady,” Lance said, taking off his helmet.

“We did it,” Shiro said, patting Keith on the shoulder.

“Heck yeah we did!” Keith replied, taking off his helmet and looking at Shiro.

_“How_ did we do it?” Shiro asked.

“I was just, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it,” Hunk added. Isabelle laughed slightly. Pidge said nothing, looking thoughtful for a long moment. Shiro put a hand on his shoulder.

“We’re not going to stop searching until we find your brother and father,” Shiro said seriously. “Wherever they are, I know they’d be proud of you.” Pidge smiled weakly. Isabelle nodded, looking at each of them.

“I know I’m proud of you guys,” she said. Hunk smiled at her, while Keith nodded slightly. Lance laughed, shooting finger guns in her directions. Isabelle laughed, finger-gunning back at him.

“We won the battle, but the war has only just begun,” Allura interrupted. “I’m afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these lions.”

“It’s a good thing you paladins know what you’re doing,” Coran said. “Because you’re going to have to form Voltron again and again.”

“Totally…Wait, what?” Hunk asked. He and Lance leaned in, looking suspiciously at Coran.

“We barely survived forming Voltron this one time,” Lance said.

“And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them!” Coran spread his arms out wide. “It’s not going to be easy being the defenders of the universe.” He stepped back, toying with his mustache with one hand. Isabelle scanned her friends’ faces, seeing that their expressions had turned shocked, worried, and uncertain. Isabelle squared her shoulders. _Alright, damage control time._ She thought.

“I believe in you guys!” she said loudly. “I’m proud of what you did out there today, and I know you all have what it takes to be the defenders of the universe. You’ll just need some practice, and I’m sure forming Voltron will come easier with time and practice. We got this.”

“Defenders of the universe, huh?” Shiro mused, making eye contact with Isabelle and nodding. “That’s got a nice ring to it.” At this, the group looked reassured and confident. Isabelle grinned, stepping forward to stand with the paladins, patting Hunk and Keith on the shoulder. She ruffled Lance’s hair as she passed him, snickering when he swatted at her hand. Pidge scoffed a laugh and held his hand out for a fist bump, which Isabelle accepted.

“We got this,” Isabelle whispered as she came to stand next to Shiro, finally taking her own helmet off and shaking out her hair. “I believe in us.”

“So…what now?” Hunk asked after a moment, drawing the attention of the whole group.

“What do you mean, what now?” Pidge replied.

“Like, I know we’re doing the whole defenders of the universe thing now but like…Can we have dinner? I’m starving,” Hunk said.

Isabelle laughed softly, and a murmur of agreement ran through the others. Allura beckoned them to follow her, and the group migrated back inside the castle. Allura led them all into a dining room, and Coran quickly got everyone a bowl of food goo. They ate in relative silence for a few minutes before Pidge looked up across the table at Isabelle.

“So... whatever happened with your Galra fighter jet?” he asked. Isabelle scrunched her face.

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “It wouldn’t boot up to let me fly. There was some sort of handprint scanner on the dashboard, but it wouldn’t respond to my handprint.”

“Well that’s not exactly surprising,” Coran said. “Most Galra technology only responds to Galra. And since you’re, well, decidedly _not_ Galra, it makes sense that the fighter jet wouldn’t respond to you.”

“Is there a way we can turn it on just enough for me to reprogram it like I did Rover?” Pidge asked.

“Rover?” Coran echoed.

“Pidge reprogramed a Galra drone from Sendak’s ship, and he named it Rover,” Isabelle explained.

“Which is why I want to see what I can do with the jet. If I can get it up and running, I can probably reprogram it to respond to Isabelle, and maybe change its language protocol since none of us speak Galra,” Pidge added.

“Maybe we can hotwire it?” Isabelle suggested.

“Hotwire it? So first you steal a Galra fighter jet, and now you’re going to hotwire it? I’m starting to think maybe you’re a bad influence, Captain,” Lance joked.

“Ooh no you don’t,” Isabelle warned. “Don’t call me Captain. It still feels weird. Besides, we’re a team now. You _can_ use my name.”

“Yeah, it’s only Captain if you piss her off,” Pidge said, snickering slightly.

“Well what if I’m making fun of you for stealing a ship? In space. Doesn’t that make you a space pirate, then, Captain?” Lance asked, smirking. Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

“Space Captain Jack Sparrow?” Hunk suggested.

“No!” Isabelle exclaimed, fighting to hold back a laugh. Shiro laughed softly, elbowing her playfully from where he sat on her right. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yes!” Lance yelled, slamming one hand on the table. “You’re Space Captain Jack Sparrow now. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.” Isabelle groaned slightly.

“Ba da dum bum, ba da dum bum, ba da dum bum da da da dum! Ba da da da da-dum, ba da-dum, ba-da-dum!” Lance sang loudly while Hunk and Pidge laughed. Isabelle snickered slightly, rolling her eyes. She raised her glass of water in one hand, gesturing to Shiro and Keith next to her.

“Drink up, me hearties, yo-ho,” Isabelle murmured, taking a sip.

She grinned into her glass as she heard Keith chuckle at that. As she put down her glass, she noted Allura’s confused expression, her eyebrows knit together and a slight frown on her face. Coran’s eyebrows were raised and he seemed confused but also vaguely concerned. Isabelle bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said.

“Hey, uh, Isabelle?” Hunk asked after a moment. Isabelle hummed slightly, turning to him. “What-uh, what happened to your eye?” He gestured to his own face, drawing a circle around his eye.

“Oh!” Isabelle reached up, poking gingerly at her eye. “It’s that bad, huh? I took a hit to the face on that planet we went to, to get the Yellow Lion. It probably looks worse than it is. It doesn’t bother me too much.”

“Look at me,” Shiro demanded suddenly. Isabelle turned in her seat to face Shiro, who looked intensely at her face for a moment. “I mean, it’s definitely a nasty bruise, but you’ll be alright.”

“I’ve had worse,” Isabelle said, smiling at Shiro.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I know. I was there when you and Loke gave yourselves concussions that one time.” Shiro shook his head, rolling his eyes.

“You what?” Hunk asked.

“How?” Keith added.

“Shiro’s being dramatic, we did not technically have concussions,” Isabelle said.

“Because you didn’t go to the infirmary after you and Loke hit your heads on the desk,” Shiro retorted.

“We were fine!” Isabelle protested.

“Loke threw up,” Shiro said flatly.

“No, Loke threw up because he ate that nasty chicken thing for dinner. _Not_ because we hit our heads on your desk.” Isabelle laughed.

“What did you guys even do?” Pidge asked.

“And who’s Loke?” Lance added.

“Loke was a good friend of ours at the academy, he roomed next door to Shiro. He was from Iceland. Great guy, the three of us were the best of friends. What we did was we tried to recreate that one lift from _Dirty Dancing_. You guys have seen that movie, right?” Isabelle asked, pausing to look around the table. “It didn’t go well _at all_. We were like fifteen, and Loke was kinda scrawny. We toppled over backwards and hit our heads on Shiro’s desk. Loke…He…” Isabelle trailed off, sharing an intense look with Shiro, who nodded slightly. They both looked down for a second. “He was caught in a sandstorm on Mars, on his first mission off-planet. He—” Isabelle’s voice cracked as she broke off with a small sob. “He’s gone now.”

The sentence hung heavily over the room. Shiro and Isabelle grasped hands under the table. Hunk shifted in his seat, and Lance looked between Hunk and Pidge, shifting nervously. Allura looked sadly at the two of them, and Coran reached a hand out as if to comfort them, but drew back at the last second. Keith looked down. An awkward silence hung over the rest of dinner. Once the group left the table, Isabelle hung back to wait for Pidge.

“Hey!” she called, waving to Pidge as he approached. “You ready to go hotwire a stolen alien fighter jet?” Pidge laughed.

“Oh boy, am I!” he exclaimed. Isabelle joined his laughter. “Hunk!” Pidge called as they passed him in the hall. “You want to come with us?” Hunk nodded vigorously, running to catch up with Pidge and Isabelle as they headed for the docking bay where the Galra fighter jet was still docked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay friends we've officially finally finished the first episode of the show! Leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“You got anything up there yet, Isabelle?” Hunk asked from where he and Pidge were working on the Galra fighter jet. Isabelle shook her head, getting up from the pilot’s seat to lean out the open door. Panels of the jet’s side were open, and Pidge and Hunk were working with various wires. Rover hovered near Pidge’s shoulder, beeping every few seconds.

“Nothing yet! The dashboard’s still dark,” Isabelle replied.

“Hang on…hang on a second…wait…” Pidge murmured.

“I think we almost got it!” Hunk called. The jet suddenly roared to life, the engine whirring and the lights turning on. Isabelle turned back and saw the dashboard lights flicker on.

“Got it!” Pidge cried, throwing his hands into the air, and high-fiving Hunk. Isabelle laughed, grinning widely.

“Dashboard lights are on! We by-passed the handprint scanner!” Isabelle said. “Congratulations, you’re space pirates now too.”

“Sweet!” Pidge exclaimed. Hunk laughed, and the two got up to make their way to the door of the jet.

“Hey can you give us a hand up?” Hunk asked. Isabelle nodded, holding onto the inside of the door with one hand, and reaching her other hand out to help Pidge pull himself up into the jet, then Hunk.

“Okay, let’s see what’s going on here,” Pidge said, sitting down in the pilot’s seat. Hunk and Isabelle stood nearby, and Isabelle ducked as Rover hovered into the jet. Pidge hummed for a moment, pressing a few buttons on the dashboard, navigating to a menu, and then to a screen of code. Pidge scrolled through it, typing.

“Uh, Pidge? What are we looking at?” Hunk asked. Isabelle scanned the screen, frowning. The code was still written in the symbols of the Galra language, but it did not seem to bother Pidge as he typed and navigated through the code. _I mean, he did reprogram this drone, so maybe he’s figured out some of the symbols?_ Isabelle wondered.

“Internal code for the jet. I…Wait, yeah, I think I found the language protocol code. Rover, come here,” Pidge replied.

Rover hovered over and Pidge opened one of the drone’s side panels. He studied something in the drone for a moment before nodding and turning back to the jet. Pidge muttered to himself as he typed rapidly. Isabelle raised her eyebrows, impressed, as lines of code scrolled across the large dashboard screen. Hunk furrowed his eyebrows, watching. The screen flickered suddenly, and when the image returned, the code looked like something Isabelle could recognize. She looked down at the other dashboard controls and found that they were now in English.

“There! That ought to do it!” Pidge exclaimed.

“Woo! Alright, Pidge!” Hunk called, pumping his fist into the air.

“Pidge, you’re a genius!” Isabelle laughed breathlessly. Pidge hummed, smiling brightly.

“Okay so now it speaks English! Hunk, do you remember seeing some kind of factory reset button when we were working down there?” Pidge asked.

“Uh, I think so? Why?” Hunk responded.

“Well, now it speaks English. But it still won’t respond to anyone who’s not Galra,” Pidge explained.

“Right, and we don’t want to have to hotwire it every time Isabelle’s gonna fly,” Hunk added.

“Exactly.” Pidge nodded. Isabelle looked between the two of them, still smiling.

“So, if we do like a factory reset, we could get it to respond to Isabelle’s handprint!” Hunk said.

“And! It wouldn’t respond to Galra anymore,” Pidge added. Hunk nodded, waving his hand and making for the door.

“Hang on, I think I got it!” he called as he hopped out of the jet. Pidge followed, and Hunk helped him out of the jet. “Stay up there, Isabelle! We’re gonna need you!”

“Yeah! If this works, the system will reboot again and ask for a handprint scan. But this time it should respond to your handprint!” Pidge yelled, his voice slightly muffled from under the fighter jet where Isabelle assumed he and Hunk were working to reboot the system. She nodded, humming slightly. After a few minutes of Pidge and Hunk tinkering with the fighter jet’s systems, the jet powered down.

“Wait for it!” Hunk said. Isabelle snickered.

“It’s okay, guys. It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” she called.

“Okay…Hunk, power it back up!” Pidge said.

“Yup! On it!” Hunk replied. The jet whirred to life again. Isabelle sat back in the pilot’s seat and smirked as the handprint scanner blinked at her. “Is it asking for the handprint scan?” Hunk called.

“Yeah!” Isabelle replied, placing her hand on the scanner. Light moved up and down the scanner for a minute, completely scanning her hand. The computer then gave a pleasant beeping sound, and the dashboard lit up. Isabelle grinned widely.

“Uh, did it work?” Hunk asked.

“Yeah!” Isabelle yelled excitedly, laughing. Pidge and Hunk whooped, high-fiving and cheering. “The handprint scanner recognizes me and I can actually read my dashboard! Way to go, guys!”

The trio ran another few tests on the jet to be sure it would power up or down in response to Isabelle, and that the language protocols were set to default to English. They chattered excitedly while they worked. _These two make a great team, they work well together,_ Isabelle thought.

“How’s everything going down here?” Coran asked suddenly. Isabelle startled, turning to see Coran standing near the entrance to the docking bay.

“Great!” Pidge replied, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I managed to reprogram the jet’s language protocols, so it speaks a language Isabelle can understand.”

“Which will make it so much easier to fly,” Isabelle added.

“Yeah! We also reset the whole system, so now it _only_ responds to _Isabelle’s_ handprint,” Hunk continued. Coran’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Wow! Great work, paladins! I’m afraid any test flights will have to wait, however. It’s gotten quite late, you see, and the princess asked me to make sure you lot got to bed,” Coran said. Hunk and Pidge groaned slightly, and Isabelle nodded, and they left the docking bay with Coran.

“Uh, where are we even going to sleep?” Hunk asked.

“The castle has separate wings of living quarters. Each of the original paladins had their own quarters that you’ll be using, and there are a few others in the same wing for you, Isabelle,” Coran explained. Isabelle nodded.

“Do they have sh—” Pidge started.

“Showers?” Coran guessed. Pidge nodded. “That they do! The blue paladin already asked.”

“Lance,” Isabelle said. Coran hummed.

“Oh!” he said suddenly, looking down at himself and something he had been carrying. “I believe this is yours, isn’t it?” Coran looked to Isabelle, holding out her duffel bag. She nodded furiously, gratefully taking the bag from Coran.

“Yeah! I…must have left it in the control room,” Isabelle said. “Thank you!”

* * *

Isabelle groaned, rolling onto her back. She had been tossing and turning since she went to bed, and she could not sleep. Groaning again, she sat up. Laying awake in bed would do nothing for her racing thoughts. She gathered her hair in her hands, readjusting the messy top knot she put her hair in to sleep. Isabelle sighed, getting up and leaving her room.

She wandered the quiet halls of the castle, eventually finding herself in the control room. She paused, seeing another person standing there, staring out the large window into the night sky. Isabelle scoffed softly, recognizing the figure as Shiro, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. She moved to stand next to him, pulling her pajama top back up onto her shoulder and crossing her arms over her chest. Shiro looked like he wanted to sleep for the next decade. Isabelle felt about the same.

“We’ve got to stop doing this, man,” she said softly, looking out the window. Hundreds of stars twinkled in the night sky over Arus. Isabelle did not recognize any of them, and she frowned at the reminder that they were unfathomably far from home.

“Yeah, we do,” Shiro replied, scoffing a laugh. Isabelle smiled weakly. “Now, I know why _I_ can’t sleep. But what’s bothering you?”

“Why does something have to be bothering me?” Isabelle asked. “What if I just can’t sleep?”

“We’re on an alien planet billions of lightyears from home, an alien princess gave us a superweapon called Voltron, and apparently we’re supposed to save the universe.” Shiro deadpanned.

“Well shit. When you say it like _that_ …” Isabelle trailed off. “But yeah, it’s bothering me too. We’re literally in space right now. And I know we’ve both technically been to space before but this…This is different.” She paused, turning her head towards Shiro. He met her eyes and nodded slightly.

“Yeah, this is…something else,” he agreed.

“We’re in space,” Isabelle repeated, laughing breathlessly. “We’re in space, billions of lightyears from home, and now we’re supposed to save the universe. What the _fuck?_ How are we going to do that Shiro? How do we do this?” Isabelle reached a hand up to her hair, toying with the satiny headband she wore. Her breath hitched, speeding up. Tears stung the corners of her eyes and she shook her head as if to banish them. “Shiro I’m freaking out.”

“I don’t know, Isabelle,” Shiro said quietly, resting a hand on her shoulder. He looked at Isabelle for a moment, pointedly taking a deep breath. Isabelle nodded, matching his breathing until hers slowed to a normal level. It was a system they had developed years ago to help each other when they were panicking. “I don’t _know_ how we’re going to do this. We’re a team now, but we’re a team that barely has any experience, and the other paladins are _teenagers_. They’re kids, and they’re looking to us for guidance and…I feel like I don’t know _anything_. I’m kinda freaking out too.” Isabelle let out a watery laugh, leaning into Shiro and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Shiro moved his hand to her opposite shoulder, reciprocating the side hug. 

“We’re a mess, huh?” Isabelle joked after a moment.

“We’ll make it work,” Shiro said. “Even if we have no idea what we’re doing all the way out here. Even if we think this is batshit fucking crazy, because it is. Man, adult life is so weird.” They both laughed dryly.

“Right? This shit might as well happen,” Isabelle added. Shiro chuckled.

“Anything else? You know, while we’ve got the midnight confessional going,” he said. Isabelle hummed thoughtfully for a moment.

“Actually…I…” she trailed off, making a face and biting her lower lip. “Shiro I think I killed a guy today,” she said so quietly she wasn’t sure if Shiro heard her.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Isabelle let out a deep, shuddering sigh, turning to rest her forehead on Shiro’s shoulder, feeling tears in her eyes again and her chest tighten.

“I-I—” she stuttered, cutting off with a sob. “When I went with Hunk and Lance to get the Yellow Lion…” Isabelle trailed off, searching for the right words. She vaguely registered Shiro rubbing circles on her shoulder and fought back another wave of tears. “There was someone already on the Galra fighter jet when I went to keep it from taking off…I-I had to fight him. He-he had a knife, and he attacked me. I…I took the knife from him, and I’m pretty sure I stabbed him, and then he kinda stumbled off the jet and fell and…Shiro…I _killed_ him…” Isabelle breathed heavily for a moment before dissolving into tears. Shiro wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, hugging her for a few long moments before he spoke.

“Isabelle,” he said softly. Isabelle sniffled, lifting her head from his shoulder to look at him. “Listen to me, yeah? You acted out of self-defense. The other guy brought the knife to the fight; he clearly didn’t have good intentions.” Shiro paused when Isabelle chuckled bitterly. “You did it to keep yourself safe. To help keep your teammates safe. You did the right thing, Isabelle.”

“Did I?” she asked softly.

“There was nothing else you could have done. _He_ attacked _you._ You didn’t start that fight, and he was trying to kill you. You did what you had to do. You survived,” Shiro replied. Isabelle nodded. “And if you’re alive now to have an existential crisis about it, you’re doing alright. You’re not a bad person. Bad people wouldn’t be feeling guilty in the middle of the night and losing sleep over it.” Isabelle nodded again, laughing weakly.

“Thanks, Shiro,” she said. “I needed that.”

“You’re one of my closest friends, Isabelle. I’m here for you,” Shiro said, squeezing her shoulder.

“I’m here for you too, Shiro,” Isabelle replied, smiling softly at him.

“I know. And that’s how I know we’ll get through this. Because we’ll have each other’s backs, and we’ll make it work. Together. As a team,” Shiro told her. Isabelle nodded. “We should probably head back to bed though.”

“Yeah, we should try to get some sleep,” Isabelle added. Shiro nodded, and they walked back towards their rooms in a comfortable silence.

“We’re going to get through this, Isabelle,” Shiro promised, standing at the door of his room. “We got this.” Isabelle smiled at her friend.

“Let’s go save the universe, I guess. Tomorrow. After breakfast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Space Mom and Dad are literally just tired Millennials and they're having a rough night, huh? Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle startled awake to the sound of the castle’s alarms blaring and Allura’s voice over the castle’s PA system, yelling that the castle was being attacked. Isabelle yelped, scrambling wildly to kick the blankets off her legs, rushing to put her armor on over her pajamas, and grabbing the blaster and two daggers she had taken from the armory. She picked up her helmet on her way out the door, tucking her hair into it as she ran down the hallway. _Son of a bitch!_ She thought. _How the fuck did Zarkon get here so quickly? Did Sendak call him? I thought for sure Sendak would come after us again himself…_

“Go, go, go! We need Voltron _now!_ ” Allura yelled. “Hurry! We can’t survive much longer!” 

Isabelle grimaced, pushing herself to run faster, feeling the adrenaline flood her system. Her heart pounded rapidly, and her stomach churned at the thought that they were under attack. _Doesn’t matter now how or why he got here. Zarkon’s here now. And not for nothing but we’re fucked. I can’t die like this. I **refuse** to go out like this. _Isabelle thought frantically.

“Oh no! Allura’s dead! Aw, it’s horrible! Her head fell off!” Coran’s voice sounded over the PA system suddenly. Isabelle stumbled as she ran. “Wait! Her severed head is trying to speak to me! What is it Allura’s head? What are your final words?”

“What the fuck!” Isabelle shrieked, bursting through the doors of the control room, reaching for her blaster. Shiro ran in just behind her, and they were both quickly followed by Keith, Pidge, and Hunk. Allura stood near the control panel, very much alive and with her head still firmly attached, watching them. Coran knelt on the floor.

“If only Voltron had been formed!” Coran wailed, gesturing dramatically with his arms.

“Coran. It’s over,” Allura said. Coran looked up, finally seeing the others gathered in the control room. Isabelle blinked blearily, staring between the two of them and noting vaguely that the alarms had stopped.

“Oh! Time!” Coran said, rising quickly to his feet.

“Ah, I guess this isn’t an actual attack,” Shiro commented. Isabelle looked over at him, noting that he was the only other one dressed in his armor, holding his helmet under one arm. Hunk was still in his pajamas, Pidge and Keith in their clothes from the previous day. Lance was nowhere to be seen. Isabelle huffed, narrowing her eyes at Allura and Coran.

“And it’s a good thing it wasn’t, because it took you…Coran?” Allura asked, looking to Coran.

“Seventy-five degrees,” he said, looking at a small handheld device. “Oh! No, sorry. This is a meat thermometer.”

“However long it was, it was too long. You must _always_ be ready to do battle with Zarkon,” Allura scolded. “Look at you! Only Shiro and Isabelle are in uniform! And, of course I mean no disrespect by this, but Isabelle cannot pilot a lion to form Voltron when Zarkon attacks us!”

Isabelle blanched, scoffing slightly. Her heart rate had calmed and she was no longer panicking. Now, however, she shook her head. The hazy feeling of just having woken up began to fade, and the adrenaline rush worked out of her system. _She’s got the nerve to test the castle’s alarm system first thing in the morning, throw us all into a fucking panic, wake me up when I barely slept in the first place…And now she’s going to remind me that I can’t pilot a lion and I was basically useless in last night’s fight? I know I was. Trust me, I lost sleep over it. Princess or not, you’ve got some set, Allura. Fuck all the way off._

“Princess,” Isabelle began, taking her helmet off and squaring her shoulders, glaring at Allura. “With all due respect—”

“Keith, Pidge, Hunk, where are your bayards? And _where_ is Lance?” Allura demanded. At that moment, the doors of the control room hissed mechanically as they opened. Lance walked in, wearing fuzzy blue lion slippers and a blue robe, holding a cup of what Isabelle hoped was not coffee, and smiling. He yawned before speaking.

“Good morning, everybody. What’s going on?” Lance asked. _Murder. Murder is about to be going on. First Allura, then you,_ Isabelle thought, rounding her outraged glare on Lance.

“Coran and I have been up for hours, getting the castle back in order. We had to run a test on the alarms and we decided to test you as well,” Allura explained, approaching where the others stood on the bridge. “Guess which one _failed._ ” Allura glared at them with her last words. Hunk and Pidge bristled under her gaze, and Shiro sighed slightly. Isabelle narrowed her eyes, lifting her chin to return the princess’ glare.

“Hey,” Hunk said, yawning. “You got to sleep for ten thousand years, man. Monday night, I was on Earth. Now I’ve flown through space, fought some evil alien named Zarkon, eaten goo in some weird castle. That’s a lot to process in, uh…What day is today?”

“It’s the third quintant of the Spicolian movement. Hump day!” Coran answered.

“It’s a lot to process,” Hunk insisted.

“He’s right,” Isabelle said. “He’s got a point about time differences affecting our bodies. It takes a minute to catch up. And not for nothing, but trial by fire is no way to start building and training a team. Neither is throwing us all into a frenzy first thing in the morning. You might have been up for hours, Princess Allura, but some of us barely slept.” Isabelle narrowed her eyes, holding Allura’s gaze for a moment. Allura screwed her lip to the side.

“You must understand the stakes of our mission,” she said, her tone gentler. She typed on a holographic keyboard for a moment before the map of the stars materialized in the room again. “Over the last ten thousand years, the castle picked up distress beacons from the following locations.” Red and orange lights appeared across the map on numerous planets and points to accent Allura’s words.

“So, we have to assume that Zarkon has conquered almost the _entire_ known universe. Earth is here,” Allura said, swiping her hand to move the map to an area where stars were still lit in blue, unconquered by Zarkon. “An attack on your planet is inevitable.”

Isabelle shifted slightly, suddenly uncomfortable in her pajamas under her armor. _I still don’t think it justifies the heart attack you just gave me, but I see your point,_ she thought. Lance’s eyes widened. Isabelle glanced to Shiro, finding an almost unreadable expression. She pursed her lips. 

“Oh no,” Hunk murmured, staring at the map with a distressed look.

“Exactly,” Allura agreed. “Our mission is to free _all_ of those planets,” she said as the map disappeared. “Coran and I are getting the castle ready to leave Arus. During that time, you have to learn to form Voltron so we can begin fighting Zarkon.”

“The princess is right,” Shiro said. “Let’s get to our lions and start training.” Isabelle glanced sideways at Shiro, giving him a meaningful look. He nodded after a second. “We’ll get dressed and eat something first, but let’s make it quick. We’ve got a lot of training ahead of us today.”

“Wait! But I want to talk to the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship,” Pidge said.

“Ah, negative, number five. I have you all ranked by height, okay?” Coran replied, leaning over to hold his arm out at Pidge’s height. He stood up straight again, folding his arms behind his back. _Am I number one on the height scale, or is Shiro? I think I’m still just a tiny bit taller,_ Isabelle wondered. “The prisoners need to remain in the cryo-replenishers until tomorrow.”

“That’s right. Now, get to your lions,” Allura said. Isabelle narrowed her eyes.

“I will _not_ have the team training on empty stomachs,” she protested. “Hunk and Lance are literally still in their pajamas. And under the armor, so am I. We’ll make it as quick as possible, I promise, but we have to eat and change first.” Allura drew herself up to her full height and narrowed her bright blue eyes at Isabelle. Isabelle mirrored the stance, squaring her shoulders and holding eye contact. _No, I will not back down on this. The health and wellbeing of this team comes before everything. We can’t save the universe if we’re falling apart at the seams because we don’t take care of ourselves too._

“Very well,” Allura sighed. “But be quick about it!”

“Thanks, Space Mom,” Keith whispered as the group left the control room to get something to eat. “I owe you one, I’m starving.” Isabelle snickered, rolling her eyes.

“I think that’s the most words you’ve ever said to me, Keith,” she commented. Keith shrugged, and Isabelle smiled at him.

* * *

After breakfast, the paladins headed for their lions to train together and practice forming Voltron. Isabelle went back to her room to change, promising to meet them out there soon. She leaned against the door as it closed behind her, tilting her head back, closing her eyes, and sighing deeply. With a small groan, Isabelle pushed herself off the door, stripping off her armor and changing from her pajamas to the close-fitting black clothes that had come with the armor to wear underneath it—leggings, a shirt that fit very similarly to a turtleneck, and a pullover jacket with a zipper at the front that Isabelle tossed onto her bed for the time being. There was a black bodysuit as well, which Isabelle chose to forgo for the moment. Once she was dressed again, and had tied her hair into a low ponytail, Isabelle picked up her helmet and made her way to the docking bay.

“Alright, let’s see what you got,” Isabelle said to herself as she climbed into the pilot’s seat of her fighter jet. She felt herself grin as the system responded to her handprint and the dashboard lit up in English. _Those two really are something special,_ she mused, shaking her head at the memory of Pidge and Hunk’s excitement at working on the fighter jet the previous night.

Isabelle shifted the fighter jet’s controls to take off. The jet lifted off the floor and hovered, as if waiting for further instructions. _It…hovers? Earth jets can’t hover like this,_ Isabelle thought. _That’s awesome. Okay, okay, let’s try that again. Let’s go!_ She shifted the control stick forward again, flying out the open door of the docking bay and up into the Arusian sky. Isabelle laughed, seeing the lions stacked on top of each other on the ground. She flew a wide circle above the area they were training, giving a short salute before flying around towards the other side of the castle.

Isabelle quickly discovered that the fighter jet could hover at any height, and she grinned, hovering high above the ground after drilling basic flight maneuvers to get a feel for the fighter jet’s controls. They were more sensitive, more responsive, than the controls of fighter jets she had flown on Earth. This made the jet much more agile, and the ability to hover allowed her to stop, start, and turn very quickly. Basic maneuvers felt almost too easy, and Isabelle sat, hovering, as she considered the more complicated and advanced combat maneuvers of the flight manual, the kinds of things instructors would occasionally show to a group of cadets, after having them swear not to try them without an experienced pilot instructor. _You’re at the Don’t-Try-This-At-Home section now. With this jet’s capabilities though…You might be able to pull it off,_ she thought, gingerly shifting her grip on the controls.

Shrugging internally, Isabelle flew a bit higher before tilting the jet into a nosedive. After a few seconds, she stalled one of the wings, sending the jet into a downward corkscrew. She pulled the jet out of the corkscrew close enough to the ground that she kicked up a cloud of dust and dirt, ascending again and tilting into a half roll as she did. Isabelle let out a low chuckle as she leveled out.

“Alright,” she said to herself, grinning widely. “Fancy combat maneuvers it is.” Isabelle ran through drills of any of the advanced combat maneuvers she had been taught or practiced in fighter jets at the Garrison, increasingly surprised at the Galra fighter jet’s agility and range. When she finished, she flew back towards the front side of the castle where the paladins were still training with their lions, if the muffled explosions she had heard were anything to go by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment to let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle flew around to the other side of the castle to see the five lions parked on the ground in an empty field outside. Several craters smoldered nearby. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. _What the hell happened here?_ She wondered, opening a radio communication linking her to the lions.

“Hey guys, it’s me. How are things going over here?” she asked.

“Not great,” Shiro replied.

“Terrible, actually,” Lance continued.

“We could use a break,” Pidge said.

“Apparently I’m supposed to be a leg all the time?” Hunk added. Isabelle scrunched her face.

“That bad huh? What even happened?” Isabelle asked. “What’s up with the smoking craters?”

“Allura decided it would be a good idea to run a diagnostic test of the castle’s defenses, and set it to attack us,” Keith explained. Isabelle exhaled sharply, sputtering in shock.

“She _what?_ I-I can’t believe this. I can’t even _begin_ to explain all the reasons that’s a terrible idea. What did she think would happen? That she’d induce some sort of fight or flight response to shock you into forming Voltron? What if the castle’s defenses hadn’t worked and you were seriously injured? What if they targeted me instead because I’m flying this Galra fighter jet? If she’s running a diagnostic test it means the systems might not work like they used to. What if something else went wrong? And she just—” Isabelle ranted, dragging one hand down the side of her face. “Ai yi yi.”

“Yeah, I know,” Keith said quietly. Isabelle groaned softly.

“So, how’s your training going?” Shiro asked. Isabelle grinned.

“Pretty good, actually! This jet…” she trailed off, chuckling. “This fighter jet is something else, you guys. It’s much more agile and versatile than anything I’ve flown on Earth. For one thing, it hovers, which makes stopping, starting, and making sharp turns or adjustments so much easier. The controls are more sensitive, more responsive. I figured _that one_ out the hard way, but…Guys, I’ve gone through everything I know with this thing and I can do just about all of it.”

“Really? All of it?” Lance asked incredulously. “The whole flight manual?”

“Yup,” Isabelle replied, popping the ‘p’. “Whole thing!”

“I think we should test that theory,” Keith said. Isabelle heard Lance murmur in agreement on the other end.

“Wow, these two agreeing on something?” Pidge commented. “I think we have to do it now just on principle.” Isabelle laughed.

“Alright, I’m down. Shiro, you in? You, Keith, and Lance are the only other fighter class pilots, if I remember correctly. The three of you could quiz me,” she said. Shiro hummed.

“I’m in. How about this? We’ll test Isabelle’s fighter jet’s capabilities, and then _maybe_ we’ll call it time for a break. Sound good?” Shiro asked. The others agreed, and the group focused their attention on Isabelle and her fighter jet.

“Give me your best shot, boys,” Isabelle teased, grinning.

“Oh ho, you got it, Captain! Team Voltron’s coming at ‘cha!” Lance exclaimed.

Keith made a noncommittal sound at that, and Isabelle laughed. Shiro quickly interrupted their trash-talking, however, and asked Isabelle to run through maneuvers they had learned in basic flight training. She rolled her eyes internally, but ran through the maneuvers, explaining how the controls and handling on the Galra fighter jet differed from those of Earth jets. Lance and Keith chimed in with things they had learned in combat flight training as well. After a while the three paused. Lance and Keith had listed everything they had been taught.

“That’s…wow,” Keith murmured. “That’s everything they taught us at the Garrison.”

“Yeah! Holy crow, Isabelle!” Lance exclaimed. Hunk and Pidge murmured in awe. Isabelle smirked.

“Anything to add, Shiro?” she asked. Shiro was quiet for a moment, and Isabelle could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

“Isabelle and I both know some more advanced combat flight maneuvers. You might have seen some of them demonstrated at the Garrison by experienced captains and combat pilots,” Shiro stated. Isabelle nodded.

“If you have, you’ll know that before they started any demonstrations or showed you any of them, they warned you not to try any of what they were about to show. It takes years of flying experience to be able to do some of those things, and a firm grasp on how your jet handles,” Isabelle added. “I’ve tried a lot of the more advanced maneuvers in this jet—at least, the ones I was taught—but I’m not sure if I could feasibly do them in a combat situation.”

“What are you two getting at?” Keith asked. Isabelle snickered.

“I’m asking you, for this moment in time, to do as we say, not as we do,” Shiro said. “You haven’t learned any of these things hands-on yet, even if you’ve seen or read about them.”

“Essentially, I’m telling you not to do the stupid thing. I am actively warning you about the dangers of doing this thing unsupervised and without having a good feel for whatever it is you’re flying…That said, I am, in fact, going to do the stupid thing,” Isabelle added, smiling to herself. She turned serious after a second. “Seriously though, I want verbal confirmation that you won’t do this without Shiro or I showing you how first.”

“We promise, Isabelle,” Hunk said. One by one, the others echoed his sentiment. Isabelle nodded, humming to herself. _Good_ , she thought. _I’ll gladly teach them what I can, another time. I just…I need them to be as safe as possible. This…this is a war, and they’re just a bunch of teenagers. I need them to get through this. I’ll give them all the tools they need; I’ll teach them everything I know. I just…I need to know I taught it to them first…Wow I really am Space Mom, huh?_

“Alright, Isabelle. Are you ready?” Shiro asked. Isabelle shook herself from her thoughts, smirking.

“You better believe it,” she replied. Shiro called out several advanced maneuvers in quick succession.

“What? Wait _, what?”_ Lance practically yelled. “I don’t believe it. How can you even do that? Like, how is it physically possible?”

“You just watched her do it, Lance,” Keith said dryly. Isabelle laughed, finishing the last maneuver Shiro had called, hovering high above the ground.

“Yeah, I know, but _still!”_ Lance insisted.

Shiro continued to call advanced combat maneuvers to Isabelle. Occasionally, her success in a maneuver got a shocked comment from Hunk or Pidge, a disbelieving shout from Lance, or a question about the technicalities of the move from Keith. _One of us is going to end up teaching them these. Keith, at the very least, wants to learn,_ Isabelle observed.

“I’ve only got one more to ask you,” Shiro commented some time later. Isabelle hummed in response. “You already showed us the high yo-yo offensive maneuver. But can you do the defensive maneuver from that attack with this jet?”

“The textbook definition of the high yo-yo defense, or the one I made up two years ago with the addition onto the end?” Isabelle asked.

“You know what? Give me both,” Shiro replied. Isabelle laughed.

“Wait what? Isn’t the high yo-yo like, _incredibly_ difficult to defend from? Like, to the point where I’m pretty sure if someone tried to attack you with it, you’re basically _quiznacked_ because this defense is so hard to pull off?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Aren’t you supposed to break, and make your attacker overshoot the yo-yo? What did you add onto the end though?” Keith asked.

“First of all, Lance, _language_ ,” Shiro replied.

“What? Come on, it’s not like it was that bad! And it was in Altean so I didn’t even say the offensive English word!” Lance protested.

“Saying it in another language doesn’t make it better,” Isabelle added. “And if that word means what I think it does, then yeah it was kinda bad.”

“You too, Isabelle? Gosh, _okay_. You’re really living up to the Space Mom and Dad joke, huh?” Lance asked. Isabelle laughed.

“I actually don’t care _too much_ what you say. I try not to curse so much around you guys because I’m used to being a teacher who’s supposed to be a good influence and role model and all that, but…” Isabelle trailed off, shrugging. “If Shiro or someone else asks you to watch it though, you should.”

“Moving on. Yes, that was the defensive maneuver I’m talking about. You relax the turn you’re in by easing off the stick, and you turn hard into the attack when it comes back. It gives you an angular advantage over your opponent if you do it right, and you could potentially surprise them into overshooting their attack,” Shiro continued. 

“I once tried this maneuver and the only thing I really added onto the end was to loop back and turn around from the way you came, assuming your opponent had overshot their attack. I used it as kind of an escape and disengagement because quite frankly, if someone’s experienced enough to confidently try to catch me on a high yo-yo, I’m _done_ fighting them until I can regroup,” Isabelle explained.

“You gotta show me,” Keith said earnestly.

“Uh, guys? I didn’t understand any of that?” Hunk commented.

“Yeah, and you call us nerds. It’s like you four are speaking a completely different language right now,” Pidge added, snickering slightly. Isabelle smiled softly.

“This would be easier to demonstrate with another plane to do the high yo-yo first, to show you how this would be used from a defensive perspective, but I’ll do what I can,” Isabelle replied, leaning forward on her controls to start the maneuver. “Keep in mind that I have no idea if I could successfully pull this off in a combat situation.”

With that, Isabelle flew her fighter jet in a wide semi-circle above the improvised training ground, tilting horizontally into the turn. Taking a deep, slow breath, she tuned out the chatter from the other end of the radio line; Lance and Keith asking technical questions and Shiro’s answers to them. Instead, she envisioned an imaginary opponent rolling away from pursuit into the offensive maneuver. In turn, Isabelle eased off the stick, taking care to maintain her fighter jet’s tilted position in the turn and feeling her speed increasing. She hesitated a few seconds; in her mind’s eye her imagining her opponent nearly completing their attack. She nodded sharply to herself, turning hard into where the attack would come from. Isabelle smirked to herself, quickly tilting into a roll to level the fighter jet again for a few seconds before doing a half loop and roll to double back towards where she had come from. She slowed her fighter jet to hover above the lions once she finished the maneuver.

“And that’s that on that,” she snickered, turning her attention back to the radio. Someone let out a low whistle.

“Damn, Isabelle,” Lance murmured.

“I don’t understand all the technicalities of what you just did, but it _looked_ impressive,” Hunk added.

“Hey not to interrupt, but the particle barrier of the castle just went down,” Keith said. “Do we want to fly back in and take that break we were talking about?”

“I mean, it sounds good to me. We’ve been at it for a while, and I think we all got a little burnt out and frustrated, so a break to refocus and regroup sounds like a good idea,” Isabelle replied. She heard Shiro hum thoughtfully on the other end.

“Alright,” he said after a moment. “Sounds good, let’s head back inside and take a quick break. But I want to get back out here and train more later.”

The others agreed, headed back inside, and soon found themselves sitting together in the lounge of the castle. Shiro sat at one end of the couch, with Hunk next to him, stretching his arms along the back of the couch. Lance laid down completely, sprawling himself out. Isabelle sat in the corner of the couch, leaning back into the cushion and stretching her long legs out in front of her. Near her feet, Keith sat with his arms crossed, slumped forward slightly. Pidge slumped at the other end of the couch, leaning his head against the cushioned back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Running the Space Mom and Dad joke into the ground? It's more likely than you think. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Are we at full power on condenser number five yet?” Allura asked Coran as the two entered the room, looking at small projections on handheld devices. Isabelle tilted her head back over the arm of the couch to look at them. She scrunched her face slightly as she noted that Allura had changed back into her dress and let her hair down from the bun she had tied it in earlier that morning.

“No, still just 84 percent,” Coran answered, frowning. Allura looked up to see the paladins in the lounge and perked up immediately, smiling brightly at them.

“You did it! You formed Voltron!” she exclaimed. Isabelle quirked an eyebrow, shaking her head. _Not exactly, no,_ she thought.

“No,” Keith said firmly, looking at Allura. The others shifted slightly in their seats. Isabelle glanced sideways at Shiro, raising an eyebrow. Shiro gave a one-armed shrug. “The shooting stopped and the particle barrier shut down, so we just flew in.” Allura’s face fell as Keith spoke, shifting to a look of annoyance. Isabelle set her jaw, shifting to tuck one leg under herself and setting her other foot on the floor.

“What?” Allura asked flatly, leveling the group with a glare. Isabelle held the princess’ gaze when it landed on her.

“Oh right! Uh, sorry, Princess, I had to turn off the castle defenses to test the fire suppressors,” Coran explained.

“But you should be training!” Allura stated, turning her attention back to the paladins. Isabelle narrowed her eyes.

“We’ve _been_ training, Princess,” Isabelle said. “We’ve been training all morning, in fact. It got frustrating, so we decided to take a short break to regroup mentally before giving it another shot.”

“We must _always_ be prepared for an attack from Zarkon,” Allura replied tightly. “How are we to do that if the paladins cannot form Voltron?”

“How are they supposed to form Voltron if they train to the point of negatively affecting their health?” Isabelle shot back. “We’re no good in a fight against Zarkon if we’re too exhausted or hurt to be able to fight.” 

Allura narrowed her eyes at Isabelle, and the two women stared each other down for a long moment. Isabelle shifted in her seat, ready to stand up if need be. Isabelle felt the eyes of the others on her, the paladins’ uneasy stares shifting between her and Allura. She saw Coran, behind Allura, shift awkwardly on his feet and open his mouth as if to intervene.

“When are we going back to Earth?” Hunk asked suddenly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“I’m not going back until I find my family,” Pidge replied, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees.

“Guys, there won’t be an Earth if we don’t figure out how to fight Zarkon,” Shiro added.

“How are we going to fight?” Lance asked, sitting up from where he had sprawled himself across part of the couch. “We can’t even figure out how to form Voltron!”

“Well, I’m not surprised,” Coran said. “You know, the original paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side-by-side. They were like a pack of yelmors, linked at the ears.” Coran grinned as he finished the story, toying with the pointed ends of his ears for emphasis.

“Wow…Yeah that’s definitely not us,” Lance commented, flopping back down onto the couch.

“Not yet,” Isabelle replied. “You’ll get there. But first you have to figure out how to work together as a team. We have to get to know each other better, to trust each other.”

“That’s right. During the last attack, your survival instincts forced you to work together as a team, but that’ll only get you so far. You’ll have to become a real team to have any chance of forming Voltron and then beating Zarkon next time,” Coran continued. Isabelle nodded.

“Team work makes the dream work, guys,” she snickered.

“You should try working out on the training deck!” Coran suggested. Isabelle raised her eyebrows, turning to Coran.

“We have a whole training deck in here?” she asked. Coran nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course, we do!” he replied.

“God, why didn’t we start there?” Isabelle wondered out loud. Shiro nodded, humming slightly.

Coran led the group down to the training deck. Isabelle noted that it was near the armory, and stopped inside the armory. She paused in front of one of the racks of various weapons, tilting her head to the side and humming thoughtfully. _Let’s see. I have the two blasters already; those are good for longer range. But Lance and Hunk also have blasters and laser guns, so to balance out the team I should be able to have a mid-range weapon, something effective for close quarters combat. Something like…_ Isabelle trailed off, eyeing a rack full of swords, smirking. _That’ll work._ As Isabelle approached the rack, a pair of one-handed swords caught her attention immediately. She picked them up, surprised to find that whatever metal they were made with was lighter in weight than any sword she had handled on Earth, and gave the swords a few test swings. Smiling brightly, she took the swords back to the training deck where the others were waiting.

The training deck was an enormous, largely open space with black and white patterns across the floors and glowing blue patterns of lights along the walls and floors. The paladins stood in the center of the deck, watching as the room lit up. Isabelle jogged over to stand with them as Coran checked over the training deck’s systems.

“Woah…Okay, those are cool,” Hunk murmured.

“Nice swords!” Pidge exclaimed. Isabelle grinned in response.

“Can you even use those right?” Lance asked. Shiro chuckled dryly and Isabelle turned to raise an eyebrow at Lance.

“Do you really think I would have chosen to use them if I didn’t know how?” Isabelle replied. Lance shrugged. Keith tilted his head curiously, eyeing Isabelle’s swords.

“Can you teach us?” he asked softly. Isabelle nodded.

“Swordplay isn’t exactly something we teach at the Garrison,” she snickered. “But I can teach you some things if you want. I didn’t get to teach any of the hand to hand combat classes, but I have some extensive training with it and I can show you guys some stuff sometime.” Isabelle glanced at Shiro, and the two exchanged knowing looks.

“Okay, listen up, guys,” Coran called over the PA system of the training deck. Isabelle turned her head to the window, high above the training deck floor, where there must have been an observation room. “The paladin code demands you put your team members’ safety above your own. A swarm of drones is about to attack. It’s up to each of you to do everything you can to protect the other members of your team.” As Coran spoke, small drones flew out of openings in the wall and began to circle them. Isabelle bounced on the balls of her feet, shifting her grip on her swords.

“Circle up, guys,” she called to the others.

The paladins shifted to form a ring, with their backs facing the center. Isabelle found herself standing between Keith and Pidge. Both of them pulled up shields, and Isabelle took a defensive stance. Isabelle found the glowing blue device on her wrist blinking at her. One of her swords shifted suddenly, becoming a compact, handheld device clipped to her belt. _Almost like the bayards,_ she noted. _Are all Altean weapons like this? This weird shapeshifting thing?_ She wondered, jumping in surprise when a blue translucent shield materialized in her hands from the device at her wrist. She gripped it, backing up towards the center of the ring and glancing sideways at Keith and Pidge, then at the drones.

“Wait, wait, wait. What’s going on?” Hunk asked. “Did you guys get one of these?”

“Get ready,” Shiro ordered.

The drones began circling faster, and fired lasers at them. Isabelle grimaced. Hunk ducked a laser beam aimed at him, and Isabelle yelped as Pidge was hit in the back with the beam. Pidge yelled as the floor opened up beneath him and he fell into a dark tunnel. _What the fuck?!_ Isabelle thought.

“Protect your teammates or there will be no one to protect you!” Coran’s voice chimed in from the PA system again.

Isabelle grumbled, shifting into the space Pidge had left, with Keith on one side of her and Shiro on the other. Isabelle shifted each time she blocked a laser beam with her shield. As Coran finished speaking, Hunk was hit, and fell through the floor. Instinctively, Keith, Shiro, Lance, and Isabelle moved to form a tighter circle. Isabelle felt Shiro and Keith’s shoulders against hers, and Lance’s back pressed into her. For a few moments, they jostled together, trying to find space as they angled their shields to protect as much of each other as they could. Isabelle grunted as a laser beam hit her shield head-on and she stumbled back.

“Time to increase intensity!” Coran called. The drones began circling rapidly, much faster than before.

“Alright he didn’t have to increase it _that much_ ,” Isabelle muttered through clenched teeth. Keith grunted next to her with a sound that Isabelle would have said was a chuckle, if she didn’t know any better. Lance grunted as well, pressing harder against Isabelle’s back.

“You keeping up over there, Keith?” Lance asked.

“Just concentrate on keeping me safe,” Keith replied.

“Me?” Lance scoffed. “I own this drill. You’re the one who needs to concentrate.”

Keith yelled as he was hit with a laser beam from the side that had aimed at his legs and fell through the floor. At the same time, Lance pulled a foot up to avoid a similar attack. Isabelle grimaced, shifting her weight on her feet. After a few moments of wild flailing on one leg, Lance was hit and fell too. Shiro and Isabelle glanced first at the spot where Lance had been, then at each other. Locking eyes, the two nodded and quickly turned to be back to back with each other.

“I’m going low,” Isabelle muttered, crouching down to shield Shiro’s legs.

“Circle,” Shiro said a moment later. The two shuffled quickly in a circle, Shiro dodging attacks aimed higher, and Isabelle blocking lasers aimed at their legs and lower bodies. This worked for a minute or two until Shiro was knocked off-balance and hit. At almost the same time, a laser beam struck Isabelle in the back, and they both fell through the floor. The tunnel they fell through led down into a locker room, and Coran called for them to come back up to the main training deck while he prepared another drill.

“To form Voltron, you must trust in each other. This ancient paladin maze will teach you that trust. Your teammates can see the walls, but you cannot,” Coran explained. “So, listen carefully. If you touch the walls, you’ll get a slight shock.”

Isabelle nodded, taking in the walls of the maze, lit in blue lights. Lance stood in the center of the maze, and the rest of them stood together off to the side, in another small room. Keith, who would be guiding Lance through the maze, sat in another small room, attached to theirs. A map was shown on the screen in the room with a blue dot showing Lance’s position.

“Wait, who’s guiding me through?” Lance asked over the comms in his helmet. Isabelle bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything. 

“Take two steps forward,” Keith said.

“Oh no, not Keith,” Lance groaned. “Why does he get to be the man on the mic?”

Isabelle rolled her eyes, looking around at the others. Pidge sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the map as if to memorize it. Hunk stood nearby, behind Pidge, muttering to himself as he also studied the map. Shiro stood quietly off to Isabelle’s left, looking thoughtful. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head slightly. Shiro walked over.

“What’s going on?” Isabelle asked quietly. Shiro sighed.

“Princess Allura. She seems so….” He trailed off. Isabelle huffed quietly. Lance and Keith argued over the comms as Keith tried to lead Lance through the maze.

“Stubborn? Unwilling to see that constant training isn’t effective and _will_ put the team in danger? A bit of a pain in the ass?” Isabelle supplied. Shiro rolled his eyes, and Hunk snickered quietly, as if afraid to laugh at that.

“I was going to say she seems on-edge. Uneasy,” Shiro said.

“I mean…Isabelle’s not exactly _wrong_ either,” Pidge chimed in.

“See? Pidge gets me!” Isabelle laughed.

“Maybe Alteans just train differently? Maybe it’s a cultural thing, you know?” Hunk added. Isabelle hummed, shrugging.

“Maybe,” she echoed. “I hadn’t thought of that…But if she expects you guys to train non-stop, it won’t be good for you and I will fight her on it.”

“I thought you were going to teach them swordplay, and hand-to-hand combat?” Shiro asked, smirking just slightly.

“Oh, I _will,_ ” Isabelle said, grinning. “Just, you know, _after_ they’ve had a good night’s sleep, some breakfast, and definitely a warm up and stretching beforehand. You can go hard and still be safe about it.”

Each of the paladins and Isabelle took turns in the paladin maze, guiding each other or being guided by a teammate. Following that drill, Coran came down and told the paladins to get their lions and meet him outside. He then turned to Isabelle.

“I’m going to drill them with the lions for a little while. You can join us if you’d like! But you can also stay here and practice with your swords,” Coran said, gesturing toward the bayard-like weapons clipped to Isabelle’s belt next to her blasters. “You’ll notice they’re similar to the paladins’ bayards. And, well, if you’re not Altean they can take some getting-used to, I imagine.”

“Yeah, we definitely don’t have shapeshifting weapons on Earth,” Isabelle commented, snickering.

“I’ll leave you to it, then! Radio in if you need anything!” he called. Isabelle gave a jaunty, two-fingered salute as he turned to leave, and Coran let out a short chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Adjusting to handling the new weapons was not the difficult part of Isabelle’s training with her swords. They were lighter than any she had handled before, but she got used to it the more she practiced the different defensive and attacking techniques she had been taught. _You have two hands, use them both, s_ he thought to herself as she made to parry an attack with one sword, spinning around and slashing at her imaginary opponent with her other weapon. _If you only ever attack with one hand, or one side, your opponent will learn how to read you. Learn to use both, and learn to switch between them, and they won’t be able to predict your movements as easily, if at all_ , Isabelle reminded herself. The voice in the back of her mind that spoke, however, sounded exactly like her mother.

Isabelle paused, lowering her swords to her sides, swallowing hard. In her mind’s eye, she saw her mother, Maya, standing in the backyard of her childhood home, her dark auburn hair pulled up in a ponytail and her brown eyes glittering as she adjusted Isabelle’s posture and whispered advice to her. Juan Carlos—a mirror image of their mother, with the same dark auburn hair, russet skin a few shades darker than Isabelle’s and their father’s, and smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose—stood nearby, swinging his own practice swords. Isabelle smiled sadly. Her mother had taught her everything she knew about swordplay and self-defense, and practicing in any way had been a comfort to her after her mother’s disappearance and death, had helped Isabelle feel close to her mother. _Even now, apparently, I still hear her voice, her advice, in my head when I practice… I miss you, Mam_ _á,_ Isabelle thought, sighing deeply and fighting the urge to cry _. I miss you every day._

Isabelle twirled the swords in her hands for a few moments, before willing them to change shape into the small, almost bayard-esque devices that clipped into her belt. She hummed to herself, flexing her fingers and trying to change them back again. _Coran was right,_ Isabelle thought to herself as her weapons transformed into swords once more and she scrambled to hold onto them. _Shapeshifting weapons take some getting used to._ Adjusting to the weapons’ shapeshifting quality was the more difficult part of training with them, and Isabelle spent a long stretch of her time on the training deck doing that alone.

Isabelle hummed to herself as shifted her weapons back into bayards, clipping them onto her belt. Laughing softly, she continued to hum, murmuring the song’s familiar lyrics under her breath. Isabelle shifted on her feet, swaying to the memory of music. She let out a thoughtful hum, stretching her arms overhead and snapping her fingers. She stepped back, shifting her hips to roll her weight onto her back leg. _Two, three, cha cha cha._ Isabelle collected her feet, shifting her weight and stepping forward again, dancing alone on the training deck. _Pivot, step, two, three, cha cha, spiral!_ She thought, grinning to herself as she took another step forward, straightening her back leg and turning out her ankle, creating the momentum she needed to spin on the ball of her front foot, drawing her back leg in as she spun. For a second as she finished the turn, her legs crossed before she stepped forward again.

Isabelle smiled, reaching her hands up again to run her fingers through her hair, ruffling it as she danced a series of steps that she had practiced for so long she hardly thought about them anymore. After a few minutes she stopped, striking a pose as the song she had been replaying in her mind ended. She balanced her weight on one straightened leg, shifting her hips open, and pressed the ball of her other foot into the ground, her knee bent. One arm stretched down to her side, and the other stretched over her head as she tilted her head back, tossing her hair as she did. Isabelle paused, breathing deeply for a minute before laughing to herself. _There’s all this wide empty space in this room…Maybe I could practice dancing regularly down here too,_ she thought.

“I didn’t know you knew how to dance.” A voice suddenly sounded over the training deck’s PA system. Allura. Isabelle dropped her arms to her sides, feeling the smile slide off her face. _Do I have to turn around and look? If I don’t turn around, I don’t have to deal with it,_ she thought, scrunching her face slightly and sighing deeply _._

“You didn’t ask,” Isabelle replied, turning to look over her shoulder towards the window to the viewing room, on the far side of the training deck. “And how long have you been watching me?”

“Not long at all, I promise! I saw the lights still on and wondered if Coran left them, since he’s outside with the paladins now…” Allura trailed off. Isabelle frowned, crossing her arms self-consciously over her chest. “My father taught me to dance when I was a young girl. I used to stand on his feet as he whisked me around the ballroom, laughing together. Though, I must say it’s very different to what you were doing just now.”

Isabelle smiled wryly, dropping her head and scoffing a short laugh under her breath. _That’s cute, but this is still kind of an invasion of privacy? And awkward as hell besides_ , she thought. She shifted on her feet for a moment, turning to face the window, where she knew Allura must be standing in the viewing room with access to the training deck’s PA system.

“That’s really sweet. My dad…he did something similar with me when I started learning how to dance. He and my mom danced all the time…” Isabelle trailed off. She shifted uncomfortably again. The awkward silence that fell over the room was heavy, stifling, and Isabelle felt as if it would suffocate her.

“Isabelle I…I wanted to talk about what happened earlier.” Allura spoke again after a long moment. Isabelle set her jaw, resisting the urge to make a face and roll her eyes.

“What about it?” she asked curtly.

“I know you are the paladins’ teacher from Earth, but if they are to be ready to face Zarkon, I feel Coran and I must train them the way of the paladins of old,” Allura said. “Now, I’m not trying to undermine any of the training you’ve given them—”

“Allura I’m not mad because I think you’re trying to upstage me as a teacher,” Isabelle interrupted. “Learning new things from people who have different perspectives is really beneficial, and I’d love to learn more about the paladins of old and how they worked as a team, and I’m interested to learn more about Altean culture as a whole, and about any of the various other cultures I’m sure are out there in the universe.”

“Oh! Good, I didn’t want us to fight over it,” Allura replied. Isabelle turned her head away, rolling her eyes. She could not see Allura through the glass of the window, but Isabelle could imagine the bright smile on the princess’ face as she assumed she had smoothed over this disagreement. Isabelle shook her head just slightly.

“But they’re not the paladins of old,” she said, lifting her chin to look towards the window. She moved to stand with her feet shoulder width apart, and she crossed one arm over herself, holding onto her opposite elbow. “They’re not skilled warriors or rulers of kingdoms and planets. They’re not at that level of responsibility or teamwork. Not yet. I’m not mad about you trying to teach them new things.” Isabelle closed her eyes for a moment, taking a slow, steady breath before opening her eyes and continuing, determined to stand her ground.

“I’m mad because your teaching habits are potentially dangerous to their health. I know there might be a significant cultural difference in how humans and Alteans view training methodology. But that said, constant training in a situation like what you did to them this morning is, no offense, ineffective and dangerous for us. Humans clearly have different physical needs to Alteans, and what you did to them this morning—almost skipping breakfast, not taking time to rest—neglected those needs. And what if the castle’s defense system hadn’t worked the way you thought it would? What if something malfunctioned and we got seriously hurt?” Isabelle asked, gesturing with her free hand for emphasis.

“I would have—” Allura started. Isabelle made a small sound of frustration in the back of her throat.

“You _left_ them, Princess Allura,” she cut in. “You literally left the room and had them fending for themselves with technology completely foreign to them that was not guaranteed to work. You wouldn’t have been there if something had gone wrong. That’s not _teaching!”_ Isabelle yelled. She made a face, pausing for a moment. “I care about these people. I will not let you put them in danger like that for the sake of training.”

“Zarkon won’t be so kind!” Allura exclaimed. “We cannot afford to coddle you all; we have to be prepared to face him! I see…I see that we still disagree on this. I must confess that I am disappointed, but I will leave you to your own training.”

Isabelle did not move for a minute or two after Allura spoke, still looking in the direction of the window and wondering in the back of her mind if and when Allura left the room. Isabelle left the training deck soon after, heading back to her room. Once the doors closed behind her, Isabelle groaned and dropped her head into her hands, pinching the bridge of her nose. _Is it me?_ Isabelle wondered. _Am I overreacting? Is this just some sort of cultural difference?_ She thought, running a hand through her hair. _Or is Allura really just that stubborn and one-track-minded? What’s her plan for fighting Zarkon anyway? Does she have one? All I keep hearing is: Fight Zarkon! Save the Universe! Voltron is our only hope! But what does that even **mean?**_

A half hour or so later found Isabelle in the kitchen, looking around for something to drink, possibly eat as well. She found Coran there, his arms full of what looked like juice pouches. She raised an eyebrow, titling her head to the side.

“Need some help?” she offered, approaching Coran. He turned his head to look at her.

“Oh! No, I’m alright. The paladins are on the training deck. I thought it was time to take a break, and I came down to get them something to drink,” he explained. “Would you like to join us?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Isabelle smiled, nodding.

“Here. I’m sure you’ve been training too, and if you came down here, you must be looking for something to eat or drink too,” Coran said as he grabbed another juice pouch and handed it to her. Isabelle smiled gratefully and walked with Coran back to the training deck.

“You have been working hard. Maybe it’s time to relax a little,” Coran explained, handing out juice pouches to the others. Isabelle sat on the floor between Shiro and Keith, sipping her juice pouch tentatively. Keith raised an eyebrow at her, looking dubiously at his juice pouch.

“It tastes almost like Gatorade,” Isabelle offered. Keith took a sip, and gave a short nod. Isabelle smiled, looking towards the others. She, Keith, and Shiro sat with their legs crisscrossed, Pidge had tucked his legs under himself, and Hunk and Lance leaned their backs against each other’s, Hunk with his legs crossed and Lance with his spread out in front of him as he drank down his juice pouch.

“What are you doing lying around?” Allura asked as she entered the training deck, her pastel-colored Altean mice on her shoulders. “You’re supposed to be training!”

Isabelle set her jaw, her anger and frustration at their earlier argument bubbling to the surface again. Shiro glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, quirking an eyebrow, and Isabelle shook her head. _Don’t even ask. You don’t want to know,_ she thought. Isabelle looked quickly at the others, noticing Keith giving her a pointed look as well. The corner of her mouth twitched into an almost-smirk, and she shook her head minutely at Keith as well. He shrugged slightly.

“Just resting a bit,” Coran explained. “You know, you can’t push too hard.” Isabelle bit back a smirk. _See! Coran agrees with me! So, it doesn’t seem to be an Altean cultural difference, after all. Allura’s just really a pain in the ass like that. That’s…oddly comforting to know,_ Isabelle thought.

“What do you mean _can’t push too hard?_ Both you _and_ Isabelle have said that to me today!” Allura exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at Isabelle. Isabelle quirked an eyebrow, lifting her chin and straightening her posture as she held Allura’s gaze for a moment. “Do you understand what’s at stake here? We can’t afford to relax when Zarkon is out there! Get _up,_ you lazy lumps! It’s time you faced the gladiator!”

Allura had all of them on their feet with bayards or other weapons in hand in minutes, while she and Coran retreated to the viewing room. Isabelle curled her lip, adjusting her helmet. She and the paladins stood in a loose ring with their backs to the center.

“In order to defeat the gladiator, you all must fight as one!” Coran explained.

Isabelle nodded sharply, summoning her swords and twirling them in her hands. All six of them gasped in surprise as an android with a staff dropped from the ceiling, landing in the middle of their ring, locking onto Hunk and making to attack him. Hunk yelled, turning to shoot wildly at the robot. Keith summoned his shield to block a rogue laser beam from Hunk’s weapon. The robot nimbly dodged Hunk’s attacks, sweeping his legs out from under him with its staff, and poking him in the chest. Hunk groaned and jolted slightly, and Isabelle growled as she realized he had been hit with some sort of electric shock.

Pidge rushed the robot as it took down Hunk. The robot swung at Pidge with its staff, and Pidge groaned as he tried to block the attacks. Isabelle grimaced as Pidge was thrown off-balance with each blow, scrambling on his feet.

“Widen your stance!” she yelled. “And bend your knees!” Pidge looked quickly to her, shifting his feet apart as the robot swung at him again. After a few successful, albeit difficult blocks, Pidge took a blow to the chest and fell backwards into Hunk.

Lance ran around from the other side of the ring towards the robot, shooting his own laser gun at it. Isabelle quickly ducked out of the way of a stray laser beam, and the robot quickly advanced on Lance, knocking his gun out of his hands. Isabelle, Keith, and Shiro closed in around Lance as the robot hit him over the head with his staff. Keith raised his sword to attack the robot from behind, but it turned to block his attack before taking another swing at Lance, pinning him with his staff and throwing him into Keith. The two tumbled to the ground behind Isabelle.

Isabelle growled again, and she charged at the robot. Isabelle swung her right sword at the robot’s free side. It moved to block the strike with its staff, and Isabelle struck a glancing blow to its head with her left sword. The robot cross-checked her with its staff, sending her stumbling back a few feet, then swung at her. Isabelle crossed her swords and caught the staff in a block, struggling to stand her ground. After a moment, she shifted the angle of her swords up, and spun underneath and to the side of the robot, bringing her swords down to disengage.

Shiro saw this opportunity to charge the robot, his robotic hand glowing purple and morphing into a blade. Isabelle shifted into a defensive stance, watching for a moment. Shiro froze, and the robot leaped at him. Isabelle and Keith leapt to his side at the same time, Keith blocking the robot’s attack with his sword, with Isabelle just behind him at Shiro’s side.

“Shiro, are you okay?” Keith grunted. Isabelle looked at Shiro out of the corner of her eye, taking in his wide-eyed, confused, and panicked expression. _No,_ she thought. _No, he’s not okay._

“Keith watch out!” Isabelle yelled as the robot disengaged from its stalemate with Keith. Keith hummed in surprise as the robot drew back its staff. “Legs! Watch your legs!” Isabelle nudged Keith’s back leg with her own, and he jumped just in time to dodge the leg sweep the robot aimed at him. As he landed, however, the robot jabbed at him with his staff, sending him backwards into Shiro and both of them tumbling to the ground.

The robot rounded on Isabelle again, swinging at her head. Isabelle brought her right sword up, across her body to block the strike, bringing her left sword up to defend the side she had left open. She caught the strike in a glancing block as she side-stepped and spun around the robot’s side, swinging her swords at its side in quick succession. The robot recovered quickly, swinging its staff hard at her legs, landing a blow to the outside of her thigh, near her knee, in a pressure point that caused her whole leg to go numb for a second. Isabelle groaned, stumbling. The robot then jabbed her with its staff. Isabelle yelped, feeling a sharp pain radiate from her chest through her body, and she fell to a knee, shaking slightly. The robot powered down, slumping to the ground, and Allura approached them from behind it, a furious expression on her face.

“That combat simulator was set at a level fit for an Altean child!” she exclaimed. Isabelle curled her lip back.

“Somehow I genuinely doubt that,” she muttered. Allura shot her a look, to which Isabelle smiled, dripping sarcasm.

“You’re not even close to working as a team, let alone ready to face Zarkon!” Allura scolded them. She gave them all a lingering glare before turning and walking off the training deck. Isabelle glared at her back as she walked away, before pulling herself up to her own feet. Coran came over the intercom a moment later, telling them to meet in the dining room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Space Mom Mode: Activated. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Ahoy, young paladins!” Coran exclaimed, once everyone had gathered in the dining room. “I’ve whipped up a big batch of focusing food. After this meal, you’ll be forming Voltron six times a movement, and twice on the astral conflux.”

_What the hell is the astral conflux?_ Isabelle wondered. She raised one eyebrow skeptically at the food. In front of each of them was a bowl of food goo, with two large serving bowls set on the table. The paladins all sat side by side. Pidge sat on Isabelle’s right, Keith sat on her left, with Lance, Hunk, and Shiro next to him down the rest of the table. 

“Smells great, Coran. Thanks,” Shiro said.

As the paladins moved to start eating, Coran flourished a small remote, pressing a button and grinning deviously at them. Isabelle jumped as white cuffs with glowing blue light appeared suddenly on their wrists and stuck together like magnets, binding everyone’s wrists with the people next to them. Isabelle glanced between Pidge’s wrist cuffed to hers on one side, and Keith’s on the other, and exchanged confused looks with the two.

“Hold the phone!” Lance exclaimed, turning a glare on Coran.

“I saw a lot of solid individual performances today, but you’re still struggling to work as a team,” Coran explained. Isabelle screwed her lip to the side, making a face.

“And this is supposed to help _how?”_ she asked.

“I’m getting to that! Welcome to the final bonding exercise of the day.” Coran grinned and raised an eyebrow at the group. Lance and Hunk grunted, struggling to move their arms together, sending an uneasy ripple through the rest of them, causing everyone to shift uncomfortably as their arms were jostled.

“Coran, I want you to think about what you’re doing,” Hunk said, furrowing his eyebrows and pinning Coran with a stare that would have been intimidating if not for his bound hands. Isabelle scoffed a short laugh in agreement. _Getting between hungry, cranky teenagers and food is never a good idea. Coran should know this._

“This one’s a classic. You get to feed each other, like a pack of yalmors!” Coran exclaimed, gesturing grandly with his arms. He was met with grumbling from everyone at the table.

“What even are yalmors?” Pidge grumbled, trying to gesture with his hand, pulling Isabelle’s arm with him. Isabelle was jerked in her chair by the movement, but shrugged at the question.

“Beats the hell out of me,” she replied.

Carefully, Pidge and Isabelle maneuvered so Isabelle could grab her silverware. Isabelle and Keith locked eyes, nodding, and slowly reached their bound hands for the silverware on the side they shared. They got no further before Lance and Hunk’s scuffle at the other end of the table caused Keith to be pulled towards the side he shared with Lance. Isabelle was pulled along, her left hand flailing into Keith’s bowl.

“Sorry.” She grimaced, fumbling for a napkin. With her other hand, Isabelle reached towards her own bowl, trying not to pull jerk Pidge’s arm too much. As she reached to her mouth, Pidge coughed suddenly, and Isabelle dropped her food down her chest. She grumbled to herself, glancing sideways at Pidge, who grinned sheepishly.

“Oh nice, you defiled my food goo!” Lance complained as Keith was pulled further sideways and scrambled for balance, landing his hand in Lance’s bowl.

“It’s your fault!” Keith shot back. “This is ridiculous.”

The situation persisted for another few moments, and the paladins became more and more covered in food goo. Pidge and Isabelle fumbled to try and get food into their own mouths. At one point, Isabelle allowed Pidge to move her arm while she had a spoonful of food goo, and leaned forward to eat from her spoon without having to move her arm and jostle Pidge. At the same time, Keith moved his arm, pulling Isabelle forward and Isabelle groaned as the end of her ponytail landed in her bowl. _This is a disaster,_ she thought, glancing across the table to see Allura sitting alone on the other side, quietly simmering in anger.

“Do Earthlings ever stop complaining?” Allura asked. Isabelle narrowed her eyes, about to open her mouth and comment, when Shiro spoke.

“Can’t you just give us a break? Everyone’s been working really hard today.” He set his silverware down, placing both hands on the table and staring down Allura. Isabelle felt her lips twitch in a smirk. A small part of her felt vindicated that Shiro had had enough of Allura’s training methods too.

“Yeah!” Keith exclaimed, rising to his feet, pulling Lance and Isabelle’s arms with him. “We’re not some prisoners for you to toy with like, like…”

“Like a bunch of toy prisoners!” Lance added, raising his fist in the air. Hunk allowed his arm to be moved, raising a fist in solidarity.

“Yes! Thank you, Lance!” Keith turned to look at Lance, lowering his hands. Isabelle pressed her lips tightly together, biting her lower lip slightly against the grin she felt slowly forming on her face. _Now this is some teamwork I can get behind,_ she thought.

“I-You _do not_ yell at the princess!” Coran sputtered indignantly.

“Oh, the princess of what?” Pidge asked sarcastically. Isabelle snickered, stifling a laugh. “We’re the only ones out here and she’s no _princess_ of ours.”

Pidge was suddenly hit square in the face with a glob of food goo. Isabelle turned her head sharply towards Allura, who stood with her spoon still poised in the air from flinging the spoon at Pidge. Isabelle’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. Keith glanced sideways at Isabelle before reaching to grab his bowl. She nodded sharply, grabbing the other end of the bowl.

“Go loose, Pidge!” Keith exclaimed as the two launched the contents of Keith’s bowl across the table at Allura. She gasped and Coran dived in front of her, smacking the food goo away with a cloth napkin and throwing a large spoonful of food goo at the paladins, splattering all of them in the face somehow. Hunk was the first to shake himself off.

“Oh, it’s on now,” he said. With that, Hunk planted his face in his dish, picked up large mouthful of food, and pressed his hands to his cheeks, spraying food goo across the table and effectively hitting both Allura and Coran. Isabelle laughed loudly, grabbing a serving spoon from the large bowl in front of her, scooping up a spoonful of food goo.

“Here. I’ll get you a shot at Allura, since she nailed you before. And she’s been getting on my nerves _all day,”_ Isabelle drawled, passing the spoon to Pidge. “I’ll _gladly_ take a shot at her right now.” Isabelle smirked and raised an eyebrow at Pidge. He grinned, adjusting his grip on the spoon and giving Isabelle a short nod.

At the same time, Allura and Coran both grabbed bowls of food goo and spoons and began flinging food goo at them. Isabelle reached into a bowl with her hand bound to Keith, wincing as a spoonful of goo splattered across her cheek and hit Keith fully in his face. Isabelle caught Keith’s eye and nodded towards Allura. Keith nodded and moved his arm to allow Isabelle to throw a handful of goo at the princess. Isabelle giggled as the goo splattered across her face and clicked her tongue to draw Allura’s attention. The princess turned to glare at her and Isabelle smiled brightly, quirking an eyebrow in challenge. Pidge must have taken this as his cue, and launched his spoonful of food goo at Allura. It landed at the side of her head, dripping into her snowy white hair.

Coran and Allura had a clear advantage in the ensuing food fight, and took to hiding behind the chairs. Lance and Hunk tried in vain to launch food goo around the chairs to draw them out. Isabelle frowned, making an upside-down U-shape with her index finger, mouthing to herself. _Could we throw food over the tops of the chairs and hit them?_ Pidge furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, watching this movement, before his face lit up.

“Guys!” he called down the table to the others. “Go over the top!” Isabelle grinned, chuckling slightly.

Keith grinned, nodding to Isabelle. The two grabbed a bowl of food goo, at the same time as Lance and Hunk. Isabelle nodded, and Pidge counted to three on his fingers. Together the two groups launched food goo over the tops of the chairs Allura and Coran were using as shields. The two sputtered as the were hit, standing back up. At this time, Shiro quickly launched a spoonful of food goo at each of them. A few minutes later, Hunk took another large mouthful of food goo, and Lance and Shiro pressed their hands, each connected to one of Hunk’s, to Hunk’s cheeks so Hunk could spit food goo at Coran. Isabelle laughed.

After a while, the food fight settled. Allura collapsed into one of the only chairs still standing on her side of the table. Coran stood off to the side, near the head of the table on Shiro’s side. Isabelle panted, her chest heaving slightly. She glanced around the room to see everyone was utterly dripping food goo, and grimaced to think how much of it had ended up in her hair. Everyone paused, looking around at each other quietly for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

“Enough! Do you see what you’re doing?” Allura shouted. The group’s laughter faltered as they looked to Allura. Her angry expression shifted instantly to a bright smile. “You’re finally working together as one!”

“Hey, she’s right!” Keith said, turning to look at Lance. Lance held his gaze for a moment before smiling.

“I actually don’t hate you right now,” he said. Isabelle rolled her eyes. Pidge scoffed a short laugh next to her.

“Boys,” he muttered. Isabelle caught Pidge’s gaze and raised an eyebrow. Pidge turned away quickly, and Isabelle’s attention was drawn to the other end of the table when Hunk spoke.

“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked, grinning. Isabelle mirrored his expression, nodding slightly.

“Let’s go form Voltron!” Shiro raised a fist triumphantly into the air. The other paladins whooped and cheered in agreement and Isabelle beamed, laughing.

“Actually, I was thinking dessert…But yeah, let’s do it!” Hunk cheered, raising his arms up into the air enthusiastically. The movement jostled Lance, off-balancing him. As the others tried to make up for the imbalance, they all stumbled, tripping and falling to the floor. Isabelle fell next to Keith, pulling Pidge down on top of her with a muffled _oof._

Coran powered down the handcuffs so the paladins could stand up, wipe the food goo off themselves, and head down to the hangar to get their lions. Isabelle, Coran and Allura walked up to the bridge. Isabelle pulled her dark brown, curly hair over her shoulder as she walked, undoing her hair tie and combing through the hair with her fingers in an attempt to untangle the food goo. Coran snickered slightly next to her and Isabelle lifted her chin to shoot a playful glare at him. From the bridge, Isabelle could hear one of the lions roar from the basement hangar and she grinned, chuckling to herself as she followed Coran and Allura outside.

A few minutes later, the five lions flew out of the castle and up into the sky in formation. With a flash of light, the five lions combined to form the enormous humanoid robot that was Voltron. Isabelle felt herself grinning widely as she stood with one arm crossed over her chest, the other hand covering her mouth as she watched the paladins. They landed Voltron on the ground in front of Allura, Coran, and Isabelle.

“Hell yeah!” Isabelle cheered, pumping her fist in the air in front of her.

“I told you I could get them to do it,” Allura commented, glancing sideways at Coran. “They just needed a common enemy.”

“It’s true. Like the old proverb says: A man can be driven to do anything if a beautiful woman is just really, really mean to him,” Coran added, and Isabelle hoped he was joking. Isabelle sputtered in disbelief, looking from Coran to Allura, who made a face at Coran.

“Tell me that’s not the actual saying, please,” Isabelle said, knitting her eyebrows. Coran shook his head, and Isabelle sighed in relief before rounding on Allura.

“So, you planned all of that?” she asked, curling her lip slightly and staring at Allura. Allura smiled sheepishly. _Good,_ Isabelle thought. _At least she has the decency to look embarrassed. Or pretend to be, even if she’s not._

“Well, I planned _some_ of it, yes,” Allura admitted. Isabelle scoffed, shaking her head. _I can’t. I literally cannot even with this,_ she thought, pinching the bridge of her nose.

* * *

“Man, that was cool! I’m so charged up; I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep tonight!” Lance exclaimed once the group had gathered in the lounge. They had quickly showered and changed back into their normal clothes, and Isabelle smiled to herself as she snuggled into the collar of her fleecy pullover.

“I could always show you some of my advanced hand to hand combat training stuff. My mom trained me, and she was a martial arts master. It can be a rough workout sometimes, it’ll knock you right out,” Isabelle offered, smirking.

“No thanks!” Lance replied. “So tired now all of a sudden, really—” he cut himself off with a fake yawn. “Really should go to bed.” Lance was able to hold Isabelle’s gaze for a split second before they both started laughing.

“Not me,” Keith added. “When my head hits the pillow, I’m gonna be lights _out.”_

“I just want you to know, that I realized when we were in Voltron…” Hunk climbed over the couch to sit between Lance and Keith, drawing them both into a tight bear hug. “We’re brothers, man! You know? Like we’re totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing.” Shiro, Isabelle, and Pidge sat on the other end of the couch, and Shiro reached to rest a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. The two shared a knowing look, as if having a telepathic conversation.

“I love you guys,” Hunk said, releasing Lance and Keith from the hug. Shiro smiled at them, slowly getting up.

“G-force mess with your head a little bit?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, maybe a little. I don’t know; it’s been a tough few days.” Isabelle smiled softly at Hunk’s comment, getting up from her seat to stretch her arms over her head, groaning softly. Lance, Hunk, and Keith stood from the couch, following Shiro as he headed out of the lounge.

“Heading to bed, Pidge?” he asked, turning back towards where Pidge still sat on the couch, the Altean mice sitting on the couch next to him.

“In a minute,” Pidge replied, swinging his feet slightly.

“Good work today. We’re really coming together.” Shiro smiled, looking around at the paladins before leaving. Pidge sighed, shoulders slumping after Shiro left. Isabelle turned to face Pidge as he reached into his pocket for a photo, looking at it.

“Mind if I ask what’s up with that?” Isabelle asked softly, walking over to Pidge. Pidge startled slightly, looking up.

“I-I didn’t know you were still here, Captain,” Pidge said. Isabelle shook her head, sitting down on the couch next to Pidge.

“No, no. It’s okay,” she replied. She studied Pidge for a minute, and he fidgeted under the stare. “Something’s bothering you. I can tell. Do you want to talk about it?”

Pidge looked at the photo, not saying anything, and Isabelle tilted her head to see. She furrowed her eyebrows. The photo showed two people, a young man wearing the Galaxy Garrison’s cadet uniform, and a girl, shorter and younger-looking, with long hair and wearing a lavender dress. The young man looked very similar to Pidge, but the more Isabelle looked at the picture, the more she began to notice small differences. This young man’s face was a little more angular than Pidge’s, his nose a slightly different shape, and his eyes a darker color, with more brown in their hazel mix where Pidge’s had more green. The girl in the picture, however, looked almost exactly like Pidge. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. _That…doesn’t make sense. Isn’t the boy in this picture Pidge? Unless…Pidge said his brother was on the Kerberos mission…but, this other person is a girl. Does Pidge have a sister?_

“Pidge…” she began, opening and closing her mouth, trying to sort through her thoughts. “Who…who are these people in the picture?” she asked gently. Pidge pulled a face, shifting uncomfortably. “You don’t have to tell me! Not if you don’t want to!” Isabelle added quickly.

“No, no it’s okay. You got me anyway,” Pidge said, looking up at Isabelle. He scooted closer to Isabelle, pointing towards the picture. “This is my brother, Matt Holt. He and my dad went on the Kerberos mission with Shiro.” Isabelle nodded solemnly. _We still don’t know what happened to them,_ she thought. _If Shiro’s still alive somehow, they could be too._

“You mentioned them. When we were on Sendak’s ship looking for the Red Lion,” Isabelle said quietly. Pidge nodded. He took a deep breath, gesturing towards the young girl in the picture.

“That…That’s me,” Pidge said. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows. “My name’s not Pidge Gunderson, it’s Katie Holt. I’m a girl…I couldn’t join the Garrison using my real name, so I made one up and cut my hair and pretended to be a boy.” Isabelle blinked slowly a few times, processing the new information.

“You went full Mulan. Got it,” she murmured. Pidge gave a short laugh. Isabelle turned to catch Pidge’s eye, smirking slightly. “So that’s why you were grumbling about the _boys_ at dinner?” Pidge laughed.

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed, snickering slightly. “Can you do something for me, Cap— _Isabelle?”_

“Of course, Pidge…Wait, you still want to be called Pidge, right?” Isabelle asked. Pidge nodded, pushing her classes back up her nose.

“Yeah, it’s a nickname Matt gave me when we were younger. I’m used to answering to it,” Pidge replied. Isabelle nodded. “Can you…keep this a secret? For now, anyway. I…I’m not ready to tell the other paladins yet.” Isabelle smiled softly, nodding and drawing Pidge into a one-armed hug. She stiffened for a moment before hugging Isabelle back.

“Of course, Pidge. I got your back,” she said. Pidge smiled, shifting a little closer into the hug. “Earth girls gotta stick together, you know?” Isabelle smiled when Pidge laughed.

“We sure do,” she said. “No offense, but I’m not sure how long you would have lasted if you and Allura were the only girls on this ship.” Isabelle laughed.

“I’ll do you one better, I’m not sure how long _Allura_ would have lasted. I’m still not, but _anyway.”_ Isabelle snickered, getting up from the couch. Pidge hopped off the couch after her. “We should get to bed; I get the sense we’ve got another long day of training tomorrow.” Pidge hummed in agreement, and the two left the lounge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I completely forgot this food fight was a thing that happened in canon; I laughed so hard writing this whole scene you have no idea. Leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle was right in her guess that the next day would entail more training. Coran woke everyone early in the morning, and ushered the paladins outside to practice forming Voltron and maneuvering the giant robot as a team. As Isabelle gathered her weapons and headed for the training deck, Coran mentioned offhandedly that he may ask Isabelle to come out in her fighter jet later on to test the team’s defensive maneuvers. She grinned, giving him a short salute, as they each headed off.

Isabelle spent the morning training, both with her swords and in her martial arts combat skills. After a while she took a break, stretching sore and tired muscles before heading down to the kitchens for some food. She sat perched on the counter with a bowl of food goo and a juice pouch when Coran entered.

“Ah! I see you’ve been looking for lunch as well!” Coran smiled at her, gathering a few pots and various foods from the kitchen. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, watching him. _What is all this? We have real food around, not just the goo? Can we cook stuff in here?_ Isabelle wondered.

“Yeah! You get hungry training for a few hours,” she replied. “I…I didn’t know we had any other kinds of food around. Are you cooking something? Do you need help?”

“Oh no! I’ll be just fine. I’m going to whip up an ancient paladin lunch for everyone, so stick around in the dining room if you want any,” Coran said, turning to look at Isabelle, still holding a bowl of food goo. “If you haven’t filled up on food goo, that is. The recipe for the paladin lunch is top secret, however. I invented it myself back in the day, and I never told a soul. And I’m not about to start! So, in any case, I’m going to have to ask you to vacate the kitchen.”

Coran stood up straight and gestured Isabelle towards the door. Isabelle gave a short laugh, leaving her bowl in the sink and taking her juice pouch with her as she left. She nearly ran into Pidge in the hallway, heading out of the dining room. Isabelle paused to finish her juice pouch before speaking.

“What’s up, Pidge? Not sticking around for Coran’s famous paladin lunch?” she asked. Pidge snickered slightly, shaking her head.

“Nope! I’m good. I…I wanted to go check on the prisoners we rescued from Sendak’s ship,” she said. “Coran said they’d be waking up soon and….”

“And you want to know if they know anything about your dad and your brother?” Isabelle guessed when Pidge trailed off. Pidge nodded.

“They have to. It seems like they were all there for a long time, and they recognized Shiro, so they must know _something_ about my dad and Matt,” Pidge reasoned, shifting nervously on her feet. Isabelle nodded thoughtfully.

“And if nothing else, it’ll be better if they wake up and they’re not alone,” she added. Pidge nodded, humming. “Mind if I join you? I already ate so I’m not quite up for the paladin lunch right now.”

Pidge snickered, and the two made their way to the infirmary where the rescued prisoners were in Altean healing pods. When the two reached the infirmary, the pods were still sealed, and the prisoners had not woken up yet. Pidge sat herself down on the short stairs leading up to the pods to wait. Isabelle looked slowly around at each of them. _How long were they imprisoned? How long were they abused and tortured that they were so afraid when we showed up? How could someone do this to innocent people? Why—?_ Isabelle wondered, her heart twisting in her chest with a bone-deep sorrow, and mounting rage. Pidge coughed, snapping Isabelle from her thoughts.

“Can I ask you something?” Pidge asked quietly, turning to look up at Isabelle. Isabelle tilted her head slightly, nodding. "When we rescued these prisoners, you wanted me to wait until you found out I was looking for my dad and Matt... But then you were all in. What...what changed?"

Isabelle swallowed, biting her lower lip and looking down. She was quiet for a long moment, sorting through her options. _How do I tell her? How do I tell her I feel her pain without sounding insincere? How do I tell her I was like her once without sounding like I’m telling her to give up, without crushing any hope she has of finding her dad and her brother?_ Isabelle sighed deeply, feeling tears well behind her eyes as she took a few steps down the stairs and sitting next to Pidge, turning to look her in the eyes.

“Okay, so here’s the thing.” Isabelle smiled, but her green eyes were sad and glassy. “I…I feel your pain. I know _exactly_ where you’re coming from.” Pidge opened her mouth, but Isabelle shook her head and raised her hand to stop her, her dark brown curls bouncing around her face. “My mom disappeared mysteriously when I was—” Isabelle’s voice cracked, and she was aware of the sound of her own voice, her accent creeping into her speech as she fought for control of her voice. “When I was fourteen years old. After a while, the police told us to assume she was dead. For long time after that I felt the same way you do now. If I had the chance I would have looked everywhere, done anything if it meant I could have my mom back.”

Pidge said nothing in response to Isabelle’s admission. She was quiet, staring up at Isabelle with wide hazel eyes, her eyebrows drawn upwards. Suddenly she launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around Isabelle’s torso. Isabelle startled, letting out a watery laugh before returning Pidge’s hug, murmuring quietly as a muffled _I’m sorry_ came from Pidge. They sat like that for a long moment.

“Hey, uh…Can I ask another question?” Pidge murmured eventually. Isabelle nodded. “I don’t want to seem rude or like I’m drawing attention to it, but you…kinda had an accent just now? It sounded kinda Spanish-ish? If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s totally understandable, but I’m…kinda curious…” Pidge trailed off, looking away from Isabelle. Isabelle rolled her eyes slightly, smiling at Pidge.

“See, I know you. And I know you don’t want to be rude, so I’ll tell you,” Isabelle said. Pidge nodded. “I was born in Puerto Rico, but we moved to New York when I was three and my brother was seven. My parents raised my brother and I bilingual. We spoke English at school, and we spoke a mix of Spanish and English at home since my dad speaks both, but my mom’s Spanish was…we’ll say not the best.” Isabelle paused, chuckling slightly. “She spoke some language that wasn’t English, but I guess the linguistics of it made it hard for her to learn Spanish, so her Spanish wasn’t very good at all. I don’t know. She spoke English to us. Anyway, we always spoke both Spanish and English with my dad and all of his relatives…I don’t usually have an accent—clearly, since when I do you notice it. But it kinda just…comes out sometimes if I get really emotional.”

“That’s really a thing that happens to people? They switch languages when they get really mad or something? Also…did you have to take a language class in school or did they let you pass since you were already bilingual?” Pidge asked. Isabelle laughed.

“Yeah, that’s a thing. It’s…complicated. There’s an actual set of linguistic principles for things like code-switching, but I think _it be like that sometimes_ just about covers it.” Isabelle paused when Pidge laughed. “And no, I still had to take a language class. But I took Spanish classes because I knew they’d be easier for me,” Isabelle finished. Pidge grinned, snickering.

“Isn’t that technically cheating?” Pidge laughed.

“Absolutely not!” Isabelle exclaimed.

“What are we talking about that’s not technically cheating?” Shiro asked as he entered the infirmary. Pidge and Isabelle both turned to look at him.

“Taking a class in a language you already speak, if it’s an option in school and you have to take a language class,” Isabelle explained. Shiro raised an eyebrow. “My schools before I joined the Garrison required a foreign language class. I took Spanish. If the Garrison offered Japanese, wouldn’t you have taken it to fill the language requirement?”

“Oh absolutely!” Shiro agreed. “It would have made my life so much easier, since we could never convince the administration to make an exception from language classes at the Garrison for previously bilingual students…” Shiro trailed off, chuckling. “No matter how hard Loke tried to convince Commander Iverson that speaking English, Danish, and Icelandic should fulfil his language requirement.”

“Even if Icelandic and Danish are spoken by a combined total of less than seven million people.” Isabelle continued. “Yeah, I remember that. He was pissed about it for _days.”_

_“I know._ I listened to it for days.” Shiro groaned, and the two laughed.

“Who is this Loke guy? You’ve mentioned him once before too. He’s someone you knew at the Garrison, right?” Pidge asked. Isabelle nodded.

“His name’s Loke Faulk Sigurdsson. He was our best friend. The three of us were inseparable,” she said. Shiro nodded, humming.

“We were roommates for a year or so,” he added. Pidge made a choking sound. Isabelle turned to see the girl coughing into her elbow, blushing furiously. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before the innuendo of what Shiro had said hit her, and she started laughing.

“Oh my god they were _roommates._ Were they…you know…?” Pidge choked between peals of laughter.

“What?” Shiro asked. “I—Oh! No! I mean…we, uh…Isabelle, a little help?” he sputtered. Isabelle shook her head, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, let alone speak. Pidge leaned her head onto Isabelle’s shoulder, and the two laughed hysterically.

“It’s not _that_ funny,” Shiro griped, chuckling despite himself.

“It kinda is,” Isabelle argued. “It took you two three years to even figure out you wanted to kiss, and Pidge did it in five seconds without ever having met Loke.” Shiro sent her an indignant look for a minute before dissolving into laughter himself.

An awkward silence fell over the three as their laughter died down. Pidge began fidgeting after a few minutes, looking around at the rescued prisoners in the healing pods, and tapping her foot anxiously. Isabelle watched her out of the corner of her eye and pulled a face. She glanced towards Shiro and the two locked eyes.

“You’re almost as anxious as me,” Shiro commented, taking a few steps closer to where Pidge and Isabelle sat.

“These aliens we saved know something about my family,” Pidge said, looking back over her shoulder towards the healing pods. “They have to!”

“I hope so.” Shiro sighed.

“They recognized you, didn’t they? They called you champion. What does that even mean?” Pidge asked, gesturing with one hand.

“I don’t know,” Shiro replied, looking down. “I can’t remember very much from that time. But the way those guys looked at me when we freed them…I don’t know if I want to find out.”

“I could venture a guess.” Isabelle pulled a face, leaning her chin onto her hand. “But like you said, I don’t know if I want to find out if I’m right. I hope I’m wrong.”

One of the pods made a series of beeps suddenly, and the lights on the pod lit up. Isabelle and Pidge scrambled to their feet as the glass dissolved. The pale alien, the one with short, pale hair and one antenna on their head, sighed deeply and wobbled unsteadily on their feet. Shiro stepped forward to steady the alien, helping them down from the healing pod. Pidge startled as the other healing pods began to beep and light up. _We should get them blankets or jackets or something. They need to stay warm so they don’t go into shock,_ Isabelle thought.

“Hey Shiro? You didn’t happen to notice a linen closet or something in here, did you?” Isabelle called almost absently, turning to look around the room.

“In the back, I think,” Shiro replied.

Isabelle nodded, rushing towards the back of the room. She found the closet and pulled several blankets down from the shelves, carrying them back to the awakening aliens. She tossed a blanket to Shiro, who was guiding a tall alien with several pairs of short arms to sit on the stairs. Isabelle unfolded and passed out blankets while nearby, Pidge found what seemed to be a kitchenette, and began filling mugs with what Isabelle guessed was some kind of soup. Isabelle unfolded her final blanket and gently wrapped it around the shoulders of the red reptilian alien, who accepted the blanket gratefully, and sat down next to them.

“What is your name?” They asked quietly, their voice low and scratchy. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head slightly.

“My name?” she echoed. The alien nodded, wrapping the blanket tighter around their shoulders.

“If I ever make it back to my planet, I want to be able to tell my family, my people, who saved me from the Galra,” they explained. Isabelle gave a small half-smile. She saw Pidge walk by with more mugs full of soup and beckoned her to pass her one. Isabelle took a mug and passed it to the alien next to her.

“My name’s Isabelle Rivera. My friends here are Pidge and Shiro,” Isabelle said, gesturing slightly towards Pidge and Shiro in turn. “And you _will_ make it home. We’ll do whatever we can to help you get back.” The red reptilian alien smiled just slightly at her.

“Thank you,” they said, resting one hand heavily on Isabelle’s shoulder. “Kindness and courage like what you have shown is in short supply in this war. I owe you a great debt, Isabelle Rivera. I owe you my life. If ever I can repay you, I will.” Isabelle mirrored the alien’s gesture, reaching up to rest a hand on their shoulder and looking into their eyes, golden yellow with slit pupils.

“There is _no need_ to repay me, now or ever,” Isabelle told them. “You don’t owe me anything. Go home; be free, be safe, and be happy. All I want is for you all to be able to live the rest of your lives in peace, if you can manage it.” Isabelle smiled, and she watched the alien slowly mirror the expression, squeezing her shoulder tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya girl is on spring break now, for the next week! So I'll probably have more time to write, which is fun. Leave a comment to let me know what you think of this chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“So, how long were you held captive by Zarkon?” Pidge asked the pale alien, handing them a mug of soup. Isabelle turned to watch them.

“Some for years. Decades, maybe,” the alien answered. “It’s hard to tell. Time becomes a blur.”

“Then you must have been there when my dad and brother arrived. Sam and Matt Holt?” Pidge asked. Isabelle could not see her face from where she was sitting, but she could hear the desperate edge in Pidge’s voice. She made a face, biting the inside of her cheek.

“I never knew their names, but I certainly remember the other two Earthlings that arrived with Champion,” the alien replied, pausing to take a few sips from their mug, and looking towards Shiro.

“Champion,” Shiro repeated. “Why do you keep calling me that?” All eyes suddenly turned to Shiro. _Whatever it was, whatever Shiro was the champion of, these people remember. It must have been important somehow,_ Isabelle thought.

“You really don’t remember? Unbelievable,” the pale alien said. Anger flared in Isabelle’s chest at the remark, and she pressed her lips tightly together, glancing away.

“You were a legendary gladiator, undefeated in the ring. You defeated an infamous Galra gladiator known as Myzax. That was the day you earned the name Champion,” the pale alien explained. “I was there, as was the young Earthling. We were all prisoners, forced to fight for the entertainment of Zarkon. That day we were set to fight Myzax, a vile beast many thought could never be defeated. Slaughter awaited us all.”

 _Gladiators…So there really were gladiatorial combat games, and prisoners were forced to fight in them? I hate that. I hate that I was right about that being a thing._ Isabelle thought, scrunching her face. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing briefly at Shiro. His expression was closed off, nearly unreadable, but Isabelle could tell he was increasingly distressed.

“This _Matt_ was the first of us sent to fight. But fate had other plans,” the pale alien continued. “You were so thirsty for blood; you injured your fellow Earthling.” The pale alien looked at Shiro. Pidge furrowed her eyebrows, her expression shifting to anger as she rounded on Shiro.

“You attacked my brother? Why?” she demanded. _That doesn’t sound right, somehow. Why would he attack Matt?_ Isabelle wondered. _Shiro hates conflict, he wouldn’t want to fight…But he’s always been good at it. Matt…Oh. Oh no. Matt’s younger than us. Matt’s younger than us and he’s not as good a fighter and if he’s injured, they can’t put him in the ring and…_

“Oh, Shiro,” Isabelle murmured.

“No, it can’t be true!” Shiro exclaimed, his voice thick with anguish.

“I was there. We all were,” the pale alien said.

“Wait!” Isabelle exclaimed. She shook herself mentally, swallowing the discomfort of all eyes in the room turning to her. Slowly, she got up, crossing the room to stand in front of Shiro. He took a half-step back, turning away. “Look at me?” she murmured, turning to look Shiro in the eyes.

“Isabelle, I-I _attacked_ him. My _friend_. I got caught up in fear and desperation and I—” Shiro said.

“You saved him, Shiro.” Isabelle laid a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, and his head snapped up as he turned to give her a bewildered look. “I think…I think you knew he would get hurt or killed in that fight, so you made sure they would put you in the ring instead. You made sure they couldn’t put Matt in the ring to die.” Shiro looked at her, but when she looked in his eyes, they seemed distant, as if Shiro were looking through her, back to that moment to remember something that would give truth to Isabelle’s words. Isabelle didn’t know if he found it.

“After my brother was injured, where was he taken?” Pidge asked the pale alien.

“I know not,” they replied.

“I don’t believe it,” Shiro said. “Even…Even if Isabelle’s right, there’s gotta be more to the story. I couldn’t have hurt my friend. Wait…” he trailed off, eyebrows furrowing. “That ship we were held captive on crash-landed on this planet. They’ll have logs of prisoners, some information.” Shiro nodded to himself, turning to leave the infirmary.

“I’m coming with you!” Pidge exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.

“So am I! Hold up a minute!” Isabelle called. She then turned to the aliens, who looked expectantly at her. “Can you all do me a favor? Please stay here. I want to make sure you’re all as safe and healthy as possible. I’ll…” she trailed off, scrambling for a moment to come up with a plan. “I’ll send someone to help you out. His name’s Coran, he’s a friend, I promise.” The aliens murmured in agreement, and Isabelle smiled brightly for a moment before taking off after Shiro and Pidge.

“Coran!” Isabelle yelled as she saw the ginger-haired man in the hallway. “The prisoners are awake in the infirmary! We gave them blankets and soup! I have to go after Shiro and Pidge, but can you go help them?” Isabelle spoke quickly, barely pausing as she caught up to Coran. Coran said something in response—something about Allura and the other paladins and a village of the native Arusians? Isabelle skidded to a stop, turning to look at Coran in bewilderment.

“Wait, what? Run that by me again?” she asked. Coran huffed, rolling his eyes.

“We’ve been contacted by the Arusian natives, and Princess Allura and the other paladins have gone to their village just over the hill. Give me a minute to go get these rescued prisoners settled and I’ll take you there,” Coran explained. Isabelle nodded slowly, casting a forlorn look towards where Shiro and Pidge had headed. They were likely halfway to the hangar by now, and there was no way Isabelle could catch them if they took off in their lions.

A few minutes later, Coran and Isabelle headed outside and began walking towards the nearest hill. Isabelle sighed softly, rolling her neck and shoulders as she walked. She tilted her head back, spreading her arms out, and taking a moment to appreciate the warmth of the sunshine on her face and the breeze in her hair. Allura turned to face them as they approached the village, looking away from a conversation she was having with one of the native Arusians.

Isabelle blinked. The buildings of the village were made mostly of large stones. The native Arusians were very short compared to humans—the tallest one Isabelle could see coming about to her knees—with shades of beige, brown, and pink skin with various markings in similar shades, and dark brown curling horns and short, thick tails. They wore simple tunics, skirts, pants, or dresses, and many wore a short cape on their shoulders. Some were playing instruments like large drums, wooden flutes, and something that resembled a xylophone in an upbeat song. Isabelle blinked in surprise as Allura beckoned her and Coran over.

“Lion Goddess!” one of the shorter Arusians gasped, pointing at Isabelle. Another nearby Arusian murmured something she could not understand and scrunched their fingers near their head, mimicking Isabelle’s hair. Isabelle’s eyes widened and she furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head in confusion. _Lion Goddess??_ She mouthed to herself, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh!” Allura exclaimed. “No, no. My friend here is Isabelle! She’s part of the Voltron team as well! But she is not your Lion Goddess, either.”

“I’m afraid not,” Isabelle added, smiling sheepishly and shaking her head.

The small Arusian who had pointed at her did not seem convinced, and stared in awe at Isabelle. Isabelle guessed it was a young girl, judging by the dress and simple necklace she wore. Allura and Coran soon became absorbed in their conversation. Isabelle turned hear head a split second too late to notice the small Arusian launching herself at Isabelle’s torso. Isabelle caught the Arusian child in a hug, exhaling sharply as the impact knocked some of the air from her lungs. The child tilted her head, looking up at Isabelle with wide, pinkish-golden eyes.

“Come dance!” she exclaimed, her voice soft but high-pitched, squirming out of Isabelle’s grasp. Isabelle laughed and allowed herself to be led through the crowd to a group of people gathered on an outdoor dancefloor. The Arusian child then turned eagerly to look at Isabelle, as if to be sure she had followed her, and joined in the dancing. The Arusian child lifted her arms over her head, swaying her upper body and taking a few short steps by wiggling her toes. Isabelle glanced around at the other dancers to see some making similar movements with arms outstretched to the sides or up. Many also spun very quickly at some points, lifting one leg to gain speed. _Oh! It’s a pirouette! Some of these are a little ballet-like…I can do this?_ Isabelle thought.

Isabelle watched the dancers for another moment, slowly starting to mimic their arm motions. The young girl who had led Isabelle to the dancers looked at her excitedly. Isabelle gave a smile, winking at the young Arusian. She shifted her weight to stand on her toes, taking small steps to match the young girl’s in as much of a pointe position as she could manage with her boots—in which she really only managed to stand on her tiptoes and the balls of her feet. With the next set of spins Isabelle saw the dancers do, Isabelle lifted her right leg, drew her arms in, and did a few pirouettes in a row with them, planting her foot behind her as she finished, stretching one arm in front of her and one out to the side. A few nearby Arusians cheered, laughing joyfully, and the young girl beamed up at Isabelle. Isabelle grinned, laughing.

“Watch me! Watch us! We’ll show you!” One nearby Arusian exclaimed, gesturing towards her friend. Both of them appeared to be young girls, a little older than the child who had led Isabelle to the dance. Isabelle nodded vigorously, smiling as she pushed her hair back from her face. The girls shifted to stand on either side of Isabelle, and began dancing as the music continued. Every few steps, one of them turned to look at Isabelle, nodding enthusiastically as Isabelle copied their steps and gestures.

“Team, come in! we need back up!” Shiro’s voice sounded suddenly from the radio comms in Isabelle’s suit. “Hello?” She paused her dancing, moving to the edge of the dancefloor.

“Shiro? What’s happening?” Isabelle asked.

At the same time, the ground began to shake, and Isabelle stumbled to keep her balance. She looked towards where she could see Keith, Allura, and Hunk, following Keith’s panicked look up to the sky. Isabelle swore under her breath, seeing what looked like a Galra ship entering the atmosphere and heading directly for them. In half a second, panicked Arusians were yelling to each other and running for cover. Over the noise, Isabelle heard Allura instruct them to move inside and stay there. Isabelle jerked down as a young Arusian girl grabbed her arm to pull her inside.

“Come with us, Lion Goddess!” she yelled. Isabelle paused.

“I can’t. I have to stay with the other paladins and fight. Find your family, okay? Go inside and stay there. You’ll be safe there, I promise,” Isabelle said, crouching to one knee to look at the young girl. “You’ll be alright, yeah? I’ll be alright, it’s going to be okay.” The Arusian girl nodded shakily, running towards a nearby house.

Isabelle stood and ran to catch up with Keith and Hunk. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, blood rushing in her ears, as they raced back towards the castle. The ground shook violently again, but then stopped. She glanced at Keith, running just behind her, and back at Hunk, who trailed behind them.

“It stopped,” Keith panted as they ran.

“That’s not always a good thing though. Look!” Isabelle pointed past the castle, where clouds of dust were rising in the distance.

“That thing crashed?” Keith asked.

Isabelle nodded, pushing herself to run faster, taking the stairs up to the castle two at a time as she reached them. She reached the hangar just before Keith, her feet nearly sliding out from under her as she turned to run for her fighter jet, jumping up into the cockpit as Keith reached his lion and Hunk hit the doors to the hangar. Moments later Lance appeared and the group took off, heading for the dissipating dust cloud.

They arrived at the scene to see a huge humanoid robot, its hulking body made of grey and dull purple metal. Glowing purple cables wired through a tank on the robot’s back that glowed with a purple liquid. One arm had a large rotating set of cylindrical machinery in place of a hand, and a brightly glowing ball of purple energy hovered at the end of it. Isabelle’s eyes widened and she swore under her breath as she watched the robot pull the Black Lion from its back and throw it to the ground. Isabelle growled and fired her lasers at the robot as soon as she was within range.

“Lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there!” Keith yelled over the comms, firing the Red Lion’s lasers at the robot.

“I’m on it!” Lance replied, firing blue laser beams at the robot as well. The robot paused and Hunk ran his lion on the ground towards it.

“Check this out! Battle-lion headbutt!” He called, running the Yellow Lion headlong into the robot’s back, knocking it forward onto its knees. Isabelle hovered above where Shiro and Pidge had crashed.

“You guys okay down there?” Keith asked.

“Still alive for now,” Shiro replied. Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk then took off, flying to hover next to Keith and Lance. Isabelle flew around to hover adjacent to them, flying near the robot’s side.

“Are the Galra behind this?” Hunk asked.

“I think so, but I’ve never seen anything like it,” Shiro answered.

“Well.” Isabelle shrugged, adjusting her grip on her controls. “Can’t say that anymore, can we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love having nothing to do over spring break? Anyway, here's chapter twenty. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“So, what’s the plan? Shoot at it with everything we’ve got? Take out its weapon? Call it names?” Lance asked as the lions hovered in front of giant robot. Isabelle took a minute to observe it. It was huge and bulky, made to be able to endure the laser blasts the lions had shot at it. The large tank fitted on its back was filled with something glowing and purple, running through cables along the robot’s body. Isabelle narrowed her eyes. _What is that? Some sort of fuel source?_ She wondered.

“Taking out its weapon is a good start,” Isabelle commented.

“If we want to take this monster down, there’s only one way to do it,” Shiro said. “Form Voltron!”

As if on command, the Black Lion roared. The others began to glow brightly and all five flew skyward together. Isabelle startled, feeling the Black Lion’s presence briefly in the back of her mind, a moment of clarity and connection as she felt the lion’s roar reverberate in her chest. For a split second she saw the robot head on, as if she was looking through the Black Lion’s eyes. Isabelle gasped, but quickly turned her attention back to the robot, who aimed its weapon at the lions.

“Oh no, not on my watch,” Isabelle muttered, firing her lasers at the robot’s weapon hand. Her lasers bounced off the forming energy ball with a flash of light, and Isabelle pulled a face, redirecting her fire to the robot’s chest. The robot stumbled back, but did not launch its energy ball at her like she expected. Its attention was redirected as Voltron landed on the ground in front of it. Isabelle flew her jet above Voltron, facing the robot and waiting for Shiro to come back on comms with a plan.

“Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal,” Shiro stated. “Isabelle, have you found any weak points on that thing?”

“Negative. My lasers bounced right off its weapon hand, and that energy ball it has seems to be made of the same essence,” Isabelle replied. The robot raised its weapon hand, and the small energy ball it had grew larger, glowing a brighter purple. “The tank on its back might contain a fuel source, but I’m not sure if it’s laser-proof or if it’ll blow up if I shoot it.”

“Okay. Hold off on that for now,” Shiro said.

As they took off and Voltron flew towards the robot, it quickly formed and launched a ball of glowing purple energy. Voltron dodged the attack and continued its path, and Isabelle swore under her breath, rolling her fighter jet to avoid the same energy ball. Voltron’s fist, in the form of the Red Lion, struck at the robot, but the robot caught the strike in its now-empty weapon hand. The force of the impact kicked up a huge dust cloud from the ground. Isabelle flew around the robot’s side, firing lasers at the robot’s weapon arm in an attempt to weapon its grip on Voltron. Pidge directed Voltron’s other arm, swinging an uppercut into the robot’s chin. The robot stumbled back, and Isabelle fired another round of lasers into its chest while it was off-balance. She grinned viciously as the robot stumbled to the ground.

While the robot was pulling itself up, the team directed Voltron to leap upwards to attack again. The robot, however, caught them, and launched a ball of energy from its weapon. Isabelle leaned her jet left to dodge as the energy ball as it flew rapidly through the air to hit Voltron from behind.

“Shit! Guys! Watch out! I think the robot can—” Isabelle cut off with a grimace as the energy ball hit Voltron in the back, shoving them forward roughly into the ground. “I think it can control the energy balls!”

The robot raised its weapon hand again, pulling the energy ball back. Voltron flew backwards, trying to regain footing, as the robot sent the ball of energy after them again. Isabelle growled, flying close and firing another round of lasers at the robot. The robot swiped its free hand at her, and Isabelle swerved quickly out of its range.

“I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!” Keith yelled.

“Yeah! So how is this monster kicking our butts?” Hunk asked.

Voltron flew forwards again to attack the robot, but the robot leaned in and shoulder-checked Voltron. Isabelle winced as Voltron was sent flying a few hundred feet, crashing on a hilltop. Isabelle cast a look over her shoulder at the robot, pulling a face, before she raced her jet to where Voltron had landed. _Son of a bitch!_ She thought, seeing that Voltron had narrowly missed crashing into the Arusian village.

“Oh no! The village! We have to protect those people!” Shiro exclaimed, echoing Isabelle’s thoughts.

The robot approached, sending another ball of energy towards Voltron. Isabelle fired her lasers at it, but they bounced off the energy ball and dissolved in a flash of light. Voltron was able to block the blast, but not for longer than a few seconds, and they fell down off the hilltop towards the village. The team saved themselves from crashing by engaging their thrusters to fly again.

“That was close!” Shiro called.

“Too close!” Isabelle replied. “We need to keep the fight away from the village!” Shiro gave a short hum of agreement, and Voltron took off flying away from the village. Isabelle flew her jet after them, and the robot gave chase immediately.

“We got him away from the Arusians, but we still can’t take him down!” Pidge exclaimed.

“I got it,” Lance said. “I’m gonna power kick that orb thing!”

“Lance don’t!” Isabelle called. “My lasers can’t touch it, and it looks like some sort of concentrated energy, it might blow up in your face!”

“No! The last time we did a kick, we fell!” Keith added. Voltron skidded to a stop, and turned to face down the robot again in a dry, rocky plain away from the Arusian village.

“Stop living in the past!” Lance retorted. As the robot launched another energy ball at Voltron, they moved so Lance could aim a kick at the incoming strike. They miscalculated, however, and Lance’s kick missed the ball, glancing off Voltron’s head and past them. Isabelle swerved, rolling away from the energy ball as it approached her. Voltron crashed into the ground with a violent thud and a cloud of dust.

“Pidge! Fire lasers now!” Shiro ordered as Voltron stood.

“Got it! Fire!” Pidge yelled. The wings on the back of the Black Lion flew forward, forming a shield on Pidge’s arm. “Oops!”

“No! Lasers, lasers!” Shiro said. Isabelle frantically searched her dashboard for something to slow down the robot’s approach, buy the team more time to fire its laser. She grinned as she came across the button for missile launch.

“Guys I got missiles!” She called, hitting the button and locking onto the robot as a target.

She launched a missile, hitting the robot square in the chest. The explosion caused the robot to stumble, flying backwards. Isabelle whooped, but quickly fell quiet as the robot rushed forward again before Pidge could fire lasers, swinging its weapon arm at Voltron and knocking them backwards. The robot then redirected its latest energy ball, striking at Voltron’s other side and knocking the team to the ground. The ball of energy circled the area, knocking into Isabelle’s jet. Isabelle swore, squeezing her eyes shut as her jet rolled and spun for a minute before she could regain control.

“Every time we focus on that orb, we’re blindsided by the monster!” Hunk exclaimed. “And every time we focus on the monster, the orb hits us!”

“Then what do we do?” Lance asked.

“Orb! Incoming!” Isabelle called as the robot launched the energy ball at them once again. The orb hit Voltron square in the chest, knocking it backwards into a rocky hill.

“Shiro, we gotta move! Shiro, are you there?” Keith asked. Isabelle felt her heartrate speed up when Shiro did not answer. “Shiro!”

Isabelle reached for the missile button on her dashboard again, grimacing when an alert popped up on her screen to tell her this was her last missile. Isabelle turned to look towards the robot. It remained standing, slowly reforming an energy ball with its weapon. Voltron remained unmoving against the rocks. Isabelle clenched her jaw, launching her last missile at the robot. The explosion caused the forming energy ball to dissipate and the robot to stumble backwards, falling onto the ground.

“I…I recognize this monster from my time in Zarkon’s prison! I know how to beat him!” Shiro exclaimed suddenly. Voltron leapt out of the way, flying across the plain, as the robot moved in to strike them. “Listen! There’s a loud sound when the orb returns to the base of the weapon, and every third time, that orb needs to charge up. That’s this monster’s weakest point. That’s when we strike.”

“Okay so what do we do in the meantime?” Hunk asked frantically.

“Defense,” Shiro replied. “Isabelle, you have any missiles left?” Isabelle grimaced, shaking her head.

“No! That was my last one!” she replied. The robot launched its energy ball at Voltron, and Isabelle tilted her jet back, taking off skyward to avoid the attack.

“Pidge! We need that shield!” Shiro exclaimed. Pidge raised the shield to deflect the energy ball, and the team all groaned and grunted on the other end of the comms.

“That’s one,” Shiro said. “Two more to go.” 

“Shiro, what do you need from me?” Isabelle asked, circling the field and searching for a weak point in the robot’s armor. “I’m still for shooting at its fuel tank and seeing what that does.”

“Not yet! But when that orb recharges, and we strike, I want you to fire everything you have at this thing’s fuel tank. If it explodes like you think it will, that’s it. Game over,” Shiro answered. Isabelle hummed slightly and nodded.

The robot sent its energy ball for another loop around the field, and it glanced off the wing of Isabelle’s fighter jet. Isabelle grunted, shifting her controls to keep her jet from spiraling into the rocks. She vaguely registered the Voltron team groan as the attack hit their shield.

“We can’t take much more!” Hunk yelled.

“It’s only got one more shot before it needs to recharge. We got this, guys!” Isabelle called back. She shifted her controls again, flying above the battlefield in a circle before hovering to the side of the robot, eyeing its fuel tank and looking for a place to shoot. Her eyes locked onto a long crack in the side of the tank that was dripping slightly. _There, that’s your shot. God, I hope this blows up,_ Isabelle thought.

“Last one!” Shiro shouted as the robot launched the energy ball at Voltron again. “Everyone, brace for impact!” The force of the strike disbanded Voltron’s shield, and each of the Black Lion’s wings flew in a different direction. Voltron itself faltered, falling to one knee. A loud sound reverberated off the battlefield as the energy ball returned to the base of the robot’s weapon. Isabelle gripped her controls, locking onto the one crack in the fuel tank and preparing to fire.

“Now!” Shiro yelled. Keith fired a laser into the robot’s chest, and the robot stumbled backwards. Isabelle fired at the fuel tank. It lit up, purple electricity crackling across the fuel tank and the cables on the robot’s arms before exploding with a massive energy surge and a cloud of purple-tinged smoke.

“Yeah!” Lance cheered.

“We did it!” Pidge yelled. The paladins cheered and Isabelle whooped loudly in her fighter jet, fist-bumping the air.

* * *

Isabelle and the others returned from the battle to the castle, showered, and changed. Isabelle chuckled at herself, standing in the bathroom of her room. Her hair was still damp and she stood in her black leggings and sports bra, probing the yellowish remains of the bruise on her ribs. The bruise on her eye had started to turn, and she guessed it would be gone in another day or so.

She rummaged through her bag on her bed once she left the bathroom, unpacking the few pairs of leggings and yoga pants, socks, underwear, and soft, light shirts she had used for dance practice and stuffed in her emergency bag. Isabelle put the clothes into drawers, leaving her wallet on her desk with all her electronics, grimacing as she wondered if it was worth it to turn any of them on if she did not know if they would be compatible with the castle’s energy sources. She shrugged, pulling on a long-sleeved pale blue shirt, rubbing at her side through the shirt’s open back. She grabbed her jacket, a cream-colored, sheepskin fleecy thing, and left her room in search of the others.

Isabelle found Coran, Allura, and the paladins gathered in the hangar, helping the rescued prisoners into a pod, presumably to get them somewhere safe. Isabelle shrugged her jacket on and began helping Shiro and Lance load supplies into the pod. Once they had packed, the aliens boarded the pod. Isabelle stepped back to stand with the others, and the pale alien stepped forward to say good-bye.

“Good luck out there,” Lance told them. Isabelle tilted her head, looking into the pod to check on the aliens one last time. The red reptilian alien caught her eye and nodded to her. Isabelle smiled and nodded back.

“Thank you all for everything,” the pale alien said. “We never dreamed we’d see our families again. But you gave us hope. You gave the universe hope.”

Isabelle smiled softly at that. _Maybe we can live up to the whole legendary defenders thing after all,_ she thought as she watched the pod slowly move out of the hangar. _Maybe helping people, giving them hope is half the battle._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a good robeast battle, am I right? Anyway, here's chapter twenty-one! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

That night, Allura invited the Arusian village to the castle for a feast and celebration. Isabelle and the paladins changed back into their armor for the occasion. The first of the night’s festivities included a theatrical portrayal of Voltron’s battle with the Galran robot beast. The Arusian King stood at the top of the steps in the foyer of the castle, narrating as several Arusian actors acted out the play. Allura stood off to the side, near the king, while the paladins, Isabelle, and Coran stood in the foyer with the Arusians as part of the audience.

“The monster fell from the sky!” The Arusian King exclaimed. A few of the actors arranged themselves standing on one another’s shoulders to mimic the robot and Voltron. “It was an epic battle! But Voltron was victorious!” One group of actors had someone throw something at the other, and the opposite group tumbled, their fake sword falling to the ground. “No, I said _Voltron_ was victorious!”

The group that had just fallen sprang back up, standing on each other’s shoulders again with wooden shield and sword in hand, clearly portraying Voltron, while the other group fell, mimicking the defeat of the robot. The Arusian audience cheered, as Isabelle and the paladins gave a round of applause. Isabelle glanced at Shiro out of the corner of her eye, smiling brightly.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for that wonderful production,” Allura said, stepping forward to address the Arusian king. She then turned to face the audience. “It saddens me that we must leave tomorrow, but we must continue our battle with Zarkon and spread peace throughout the universe. Your Highness…” Allura paused to turn to the Arusian king once more, handing him something. “Please accept this gift. This will allow you to contact us any time you need help. Arus will be the first planet in the Voltron Alliance.” The Arusian king cheered, holding up the small handheld device Allura had given him. The other Arusians raised their glasses and echoed his cheer.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow in disbelief. _So now we’re giving communication devices to any planets we visit? I mean…it’s a good idea in case they need our help. But when was this decided? Why didn’t Allura tell us? And what’s this about a Voltron Alliance? Was she going to tell us about that, or just casually have it named after us when we don’t know it exists, or what it’s for? Excuse me, Allura, I have questions,_ she thought.

Arusian musicians soon began to play and the guests began to mingle. Isabelle wove her way carefully around the room, noting that everyone had a glass with purple liquid in it. She tilted her head curiously, taking a glass with a smile when a nearby Arusian offered her one. She did not drink it, however, instead approaching Coran nearby and tapping his shoulder.

“What’s in these drinks, Coran?” she asked curiously. Coran turned towards her, smiling.

“Oh! This is nunvill, the nectar of the gods. It also makes a wonderful hair tonic!” he explained. Isabelle eyed the purple drink dubiously, shrugging one shoulder before taking a sip. It had a faintly alcoholic aftertaste, but the flavor was overwhelmingly unpleasant and reminiscent of dishwater. Isabelle did her best to hide her grimace in her glass as Lance approached, having a similar conversation with Coran.

“It tastes like hot dog water and feet!” Lance complained. Isabelle drew her glass away from her face, whirling her head to face Lance.

“Why do you know what that tastes like?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Lance grimaced, shaking his head and walking away. Isabelle turned back to Coran. “How much alcohol is in this? I’m not sure if the paladins should have much more. They’re not old enough for alcoholic beverages on Earth.”

“They’re not?” Coran asked, suddenly worried. Isabelle’s eyes widened. “Too much of nunvill will have them out like a light, then. But only after they’re giggling themselves silly…and, possibly, doing dubious things like dancing on a banquet table…” he trailed off, looking away. “Not that I would know!”

“So, it is enough to get drunk on,” Isabelle murmured. _Is it?_ She wondered, glancing quickly to Coran before steeling her resolve and downing the rest of her glass. _Doesn’t taste like alcohol. Still mostly dishwater._

“Isabelle!” Coran scolded. “That much at once should have knocked you off your feet! What are you doing?” Isabelle snickered, taking a moment to check herself mentally. She still felt completely sober, even after a few long minutes had passed with Coran watching her worriedly.

“Coran…I think humans and Alteans have different levels of alcohol tolerance. I…don’t feel anything,” she said, laughing. “I think Alteans have a much weaker tolerance for alcohol than humans.”

“Well then.” Coran gave a scoff, puffing his chest, and giving a short chuckle. “I don’t want to know what’s strong for humans, then.”

Coran drifted into the crowd. A moment later Isabelle jumped as she heard a crash and the distinct sound of shattering dishware. She turned to where two younger Arusians had crashed one of the trays that had been floating around the gathering, collecting empty glasses. Isabelle rushed over, setting the young Arusians back on their feet and helping them collect the broken glass and put it back on the tray, which floated off towards the kitchen. As Isabelle rose to her feet, she saw Shiro walking purposefully towards the entrance of the castle and walked over to fall in step beside him.

“What’s up?” she asked. Shiro sighed softly.

“Something doesn’t feel right. There’s so many people moving in and out of the castle, it doesn’t feel safe. If I were Zarkon, or any of his forces, I’d use this as a perfect opportunity to attack. I’m going to do a perimeter check,” Shiro said. Isabelle nodded seriously, shifting back into a tactical frame of mind. _Shiro checks the perimeter, but that still leaves the entrance partially open, and the main group of guests in the foyer, blissfully unaware,_ Isabelle thought.

“I’ll stay in here, keep an eye on the foyer, and tell the others to keep their heads on a swivel,” Isabelle said. “Maybe go and grab a weapon. Something small, easily concealable…I have a pair of daggers in my room,” she added as an afterthought.

“Let me know if anything’s off,” Shiro stated.

“Will do. And you too,” Isabelle replied. “Oh, and…Don’t drink the nunvill.” Isabelle smirked, turning halfway back towards the foyer.

“Why?” Shiro asked, giving a half-smile. “Does it have _that much_ alcohol?”

“Oh god no! It has next to no alcohol. Alteans apparently have weak alcohol tolerance than humans…it just tastes _nasty,”_ Isabelle said, laughing softly and smirking when she heard him laugh behind her as she turned around to walk back to the foyer. She gave Shiro a short wave and threw a mischievous smirk over her shoulder at him.

On her way back to the foyer, a serious, almost uneasy feeling settled over Isabelle. _Shiro has a point...Something feels…off,_ Isabelle thought. She scrunched her face, taking a quick detour to her room to grab the daggers she had gotten from the armory, tucking them into her boots. Pausing at the door, she clipped her sword-bayards to her belt and put a hair tie around her wrist before dashing through the halls to rejoin the celebration in the foyer.

As she did, Isabelle waded through the crowd, approaching Keith and Hunk, who were chatting with a group of Arusian guests. Isabelle waved as she approached, standing next to Keith. Keith paused, taking a drink of nunvill from his glass. Isabelle winced as Keith grimaced, making a face, before gagging and spitting his drink onto Hunk. Isabelle gave a short snort-laugh, and Hunk hunched his shoulders, turning away.

“Ah! My eyes!” he exclaimed, turning back to Keith and Isabelle with lollipop-like foods over his eyes with the sticks pointing out towards them, making faces at them.

Isabelle’s eyebrows shot up as she let out a peal of laughter. Keith blanched and began laughing too, and Hunk joined in. Once the laughter faded, Isabelle schooled her expression into one more serious and gestured for Hunk and Keith to huddle up around her. The two leaned in, bending their heads towards her.

“Hey guys. I just talked to Shiro, and he seemed a bit on edge about the castle being open like this with so many people coming in an out. He just went to do a perimeter check, but can you do me a favor?” she asked. Keith and Hunk both nodded seriously. “Keep an eye out, heads on a swivel. If anything feels off, come find either me or Shiro, yeah?”

“We will,” Keith said.

“You got it, Captain—I, uh, Isabelle,” Hunk added. Isabelle smiled softly. “You got it, Isabelle.”

Isabelle looked up to search for Pidge and Lance, and waved Lance over when he caught her eyes. Lance hurried over, trying not to spill his glass as he did, and stood next to Hunk. Keith turned away, taking a few steps back to survey the room. Isabelle quickly filled Lance in on what she and Shiro had discussed. He nodded solemnly, swishing his glass.

“I guess we better get used to this space juice,” he commented after a long moment. “Who knows when we’ll get back home again?”

“Yeah, if ever,” Hunk added sadly. Isabelle glanced between the two, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“What do you mean?” Isabelle asked. Lance jerked his thumb towards her, raising an eyebrow at Hunk expectantly.

“I mean, if this Zarkon guy has been ruling for _ten thousand_ years, how _long_ do you think it’ll take for us to fix it?” Hunk asked. Isabelle nodded, humming thoughtfully. _Yeah, okay, that’s fair enough._ _This…This could take some time,_ Isabelle thought. Hunk paused to take a small bowl of lollipop-esque desserts from a nearby floating tray, and Isabelle reached over to grab one for herself.

“You know, and that’s if we live,” Hunk said.

“Right. That,” Lance said, shoulders slumping. Isabelle straightened her shoulders.

“Guys. We’re going to live,” she told them. “The universe hasn’t had Voltron for the last ten thousand years, and that’s something people have faith in, and gives them hope. I know Allura kinda sprang the whole Voltron Alliance thing on us, you know, _today_ …” Isabelle paused, rolling her eyes. “But if we can form an alliance of planets and people who oppose Zarkon, we stand a good chance of being able to stop him, I think. We have to have faith in ourselves, and each other.” Hunk and Lance glanced uncertainly at each other, and Isabelle placed her glass on a nearby tray before reaching out to put one hand on each of their shoulders. “We got this, guys. I believe in us, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you guys safe.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Lance said, smiling softly. Isabelle raised one eyebrow. “Isabelle. Thanks, Isabelle.”

“Yeah, thanks. I needed that,” Hunk added.

Isabelle grinned at them, wrapping her arm around Lance’s shoulders to bring it closer to her, taking a bite of her lollipop dessert. Lance grumbled, swatting at her arm. Hunk laughed, taking one of the desserts from his bowl and passing it to Lance, who brandished it at Isabelle, making a silly face at her before eating it. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“Hey, what do you think the chances are of us landing on a nacho planet?” Hunk asked suddenly. Isabelle chuckled.

“Well, there’s only one planet with Veradera Beach, pizza shack looking over the water, and the garlic knots…and my mom’s hugs,” Lance trailed off, sniffling. Isabelle felt herself getting slightly choked up, and she reached an arm out for Lance, who stepped closer and tucked his head into his chest.

“I’m sorry. I think this nunvill is getting to me,” he said, pulling away from Isabelle and turning to leave. “I gotta go.”

Isabelle looked sadly after Lance as he walked through the crowd of Arusians and made his way up the main staircase of the castle. A few minutes later, Pidge stormed towards the main entrance of the castle, leaving a bewildered Allura in her wake. Isabelle raised an eyebrow. _What happened there?_ She wondered. _Wait, shit. I didn’t tell Pidge to keep an eye out.Hmm, she’s going outside anyway, she’s probably looking for Shiro. He’ll tell her what’s going on._ Isabelle glanced at Hunk, who shrugged. Isabelle shook her head, and took a few steps away, leaning her back on the wall and scanning the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

A few minutes later, Pidge and Shiro re-entered the foyer. Pidge waved quickly to Isabelle, beckoning her over. Isabelle knit her eyebrows, pushing off from her spot on the wall and doing a quick sweep of the room as she approached Pidge and Shiro. _What’s going on? Is something wrong?_ She wondered. Pidge shifted nervously on her feet, and Shiro looked pensive. Isabelle glanced between the two, but walked with them quietly as Pidge gathered the Keith, Hunk, and Allura in a secluded back section of the foyer, away from curious eyes and ears.

“Guys,” Pidge stated, taking a deep, shaky breath. “I’m leaving Team Voltron.”

“Pidge, no,” Shiro pleaded. Isabelle’s eyebrows shot up. _Leaving? Where are you going to go? What are you doing...Who’s going to fly the Green Lion if you leave?_ Isabelle thought, biting the inside of her cheek.

“The download from the Galra ship was enough to at least get me in the right direction to start my search,” Pidge explained, shifting her backpack on her shoulder. “I have a pod all ready to go.”

“You can’t _leave,_ ” Keith said sharply, stepping forward, craning his neck down to look Pidge in the eyes.

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Pidge retorted, her voice rising an octave as she squared her shoulders and stared Keith down.

“If you leave, we can’t form Voltron. And that means we can’t defend the universe against Zarkon,” Keith explained slowly, clearly trying to keep his anger in check. “You’re not the only one with a family.” Pidge glowered at him. “All these Arusians have families. Everyone in the universe has families,” Keith continued. Pidge looked away, her glare softening slightly.

“Yeah, I have a family. They live on Earth,” Hunk interjected. “And I want to be with them. Is that, like, a thing that can happen?”

“You want to leave too?” Allura asked, stepping forward.

“Of course, I do!” Hunk exclaimed. “Look, Voltron is super cool, don’t get me wrong, but I never signed up for a lifetime in space fighting aliens.” _In all technicality…none of us asked to be here. None of us signed up for this. This is…way above the paygrade of a bunch of teenage cadets, a freshly promoted captain, and Shiro, who just escaped being held prisoner by the Galra,_ Isabelle thought. She grimaced, shaking her head to dislodge the thought. _But if_ _we don’t do this, who will? What do we risk if we leave now?_ she argued internally.

“You’re putting the lives of two people over the lives of everyone else in the entire galaxy!” Keith exclaimed, walking towards Pidge, waving his arms for emphasis. Pidge’s eyes widened, and she stepped back. Isabelle tensed, straightening her back, and was about intervene when Shiro stepped forward, putting a hand on Keith’s chest and nudging him back.

“Keith,” he said sternly. “That’s not how a team works. People have to _want_ to be a part of it. They can’t be forced.” Shiro glanced at Isabelle as he turned to face Pidge, his expression and his voice softening considerably. “If you want to leave, we won’t try to stop you. But _, please_ , just think about what you’re doing.”

“I’m sorry,” Pidge said after a moment. Isabelle grimaced, lowering her head. “You’re going to have to find someone else to pilot the Green Lion. Who knows? Maybe the Green Lion will choose Isabelle.” Pidge let out a watery laugh as she turned and walked away from them. Isabelle shook her head, doubtful.

“I can’t believe it,” Allura said, watching Pidge leave. “This team is falling apart. How will we ever form Voltron?”

Before anyone could react to Allura’s words, a loud, rumbling explosion echoed through the castle, strong enough to shake the place from floor to ceiling. Dust and small rocks shook loose from the ceiling as the floor shook. Isabelle planted her feet, bending her knees to absorb the shock, looking frantically at the rest of her team. The other paladins stumbled slightly, and their Arusian guests started yelling and beginning to panic.

When the castle finally stopped shaking, there was a stampede of Arusians rushing for the exit. The lights suddenly went out, plunging the castle into darkness. Isabelle groaned, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the dark. Shiro braced a hand heavily on her shoulder. She looked wildly at him, letting out a breathless, desperate sound that might have been a laugh. _What the fuck just happened? Where’s Lance? Where’s Coran? Are they alright? What the **fuck** was that? _She wondered. 

Shiro’s hand tightened on Isabelle’s arm, and he pulled her through the dark hallway, calling out to the other paladins as they went. Isabelle fumbled her way up the stairs, reaching a hand out to steady the others as they hurried to the bridge. It was darker there, thick clouds of smoke and debris lingering in the air. Isabelle grimaced, and the acrid taste of smoke in her mouth sent her into a coughing fit.

“What happened?” Shiro asked worriedly, leaning down to steady Coran as he sat up. Hunk dropped to his knees beside Coran as well.

“I’m not sure,” Coran groaned. Isabelle curled her lip back, scanning the area as the smoke cleared. She looked wildly for Lance, but paused, eyes wide, as the smoke settled to reveal the large crystal above the central control panel had shattered.

“The crystal!” Allura exclaimed, and the group carefully made their way forward towards it.

“Lance!” Isabelle shouted as she saw Lance lying unconscious on the floor, closer to the control panel than Coran had been. _Closer to the blast_ , Isabelle’s mind supplied. _Oh God, Lance. Please be okay,_ she thought, rushing forward and dropping to her knees next to Shiro, who had bent down to carefully pick up Lance.

“Lance?” Shiro said, cradling Lance’s head in one hand. “Lance!” Isabelle picked up his arm, tracing her fingers along his wrist, searching for a pulse.

“Please, Lance. Please. _Por favor._ Don’t you dare die on me, Lance,” Isabelle murmured desperately, pressing her ear to his chest. He still had a pulse, and she could hear his breathing. She sighed deeply, shoulder sagging, and she pressed her forehead into his shoulder. _“Gracias a Dios.”_

“We have to get Lance to the infirmary!” Pidge’s voice caused Isabelle to start, jerking her head up. Coran has gotten to his feet, leaning heavily on Hunk for support.

“Without the crystal, the castle has no power,” Allura responded. Shiro and Isabelle shared a solemn, worried look.

“He doesn’t look good,” Shiro said.

“He’s not breathing well.” Isabelle lowered her head to listen to Lance’s chest again. His breathing was shallow, and there was a bit of a rasping sound to them, almost pained. “I think he might have bruised some ribs, possibly broken one or two.”

“Lion warriors!” The Arusian King burst suddenly into the room, running up to the group. “Our village is under attack! We need help!”

“Let’s get to the lions,” Keith said, sharp and determined.

“You can’t,” Allura replied. “They’re sealed in their hangars. There’s no way to get them out.”

“What about my jet? Is the main docking bay closed off too?” Isabelle asked. Allura did not answer, and Isabelle grimaced. _Hand-to-hand combat it is then,_ she thought darkly, glad in a somber way that she had detoured to her room to get her weapons.

“We’re defenseless,” Allura said, looking down.

“Will you not help us?” The Arusian King asked, looking frantically between them.

“We’ll help you,” Keith promised. “We just…” he trailed off as Lance groaned softly.

“This is bad,” Hunk commented.

“We have to get a new crystal to get the castle working again,” Coran said, pushing off of Hunk’s shoulder, his voice rough. “But to get a new crystal, we need a ship.”

“The pod I was loading! We can use that!” Pidge exclaimed. Isabelle whirled to face Pidge, raising an eyebrow. “I left the bay door open.”

“If we can access the bay, I can get to my jet,” Isabelle added, taking one last look at Lance before rising to her feet. “If we need air support.”

“I can use the scanner in the pod to see if there’s a Balmera nearby,” Coran said. “Hunk, you come with me. I’ll need someone big to help me carry the crystal.”

“A Balmera?” Hunk asked.

“Yeah, what’s a Balmera?” Isabelle wondered aloud.

“It’s where the crystals come from. I’ll tell you about it on the way, Hunk!” Coran turned, hurrying down towards the bay. Hunk and Pidge followed quickly after him.

“Leave the bay door open! In case I need to fly!” Isabelle called after them, unsure if any of the three heard her.

“I’ll go see what’s happening at the Arusian village,” Keith said, turning to Shiro.

“I’ll go with you, Keith. I brought this on the poor Arusians,” Allura added. Isabelle screwed her lip to the side.

“This…This isn’t your fault, Allura,” she said softly. _You didn’t invite this. It’s not your fault the castle was landed here, and it’s not your fault Sendak attacked us. None of us knew anyone from that ship survived the crash,_ Isabelle thought, but the words felt hollow even in her mind.

“I’ll tend to Lance and stand watch over the castle,” Shiro replied. Keith nodded, and he and Allura rushed off. “Are you going with them? I thought that group of Arusian kids thought you were their Lion Goddess?”

“I’ll stay with you and Lance,” Isabelle replied, shaking her head. “If the castle is attacked, you’ll need all the help you can get. And if I need to fly, I can get to the bay much easier from here than if I had to come back from the village.” Shiro nodded, looking down at Lance, who groaned softly. After a moment, Shiro lifted Lance over one shoulder, and the two of them left the bridge, heading back towards the main entrance of the castle.

“Hang in there, buddy. Help is on the way,” Shiro said softly.

“Hold on, Lance. We’re going to take care of you, yeah?” Isabelle added. “If you die on me, I’m going to kick your ass all the way back to Veradera Beach.” She gave a short, strained laugh.

“Isabelle?” Pidge’s voice suddenly crackled over Isabelle’s suit comms. “I have an idea for a modification on your jet. I equipped one of the pods with a cloaking device that I reverse-engineered from the invisible walls on the training deck, and I think I can do the same thing on your Galra jet.”

“Pidge, that’s amazing. You’re a genius, and I love that,” Isabelle replied. “But can you do me a favor right now and focus?” Isabelle answered in a whisper as she and Shiro rounded a corner, stopping in their tracks as they saw a group of Galra soldiers approaching the entrance of the castle. “Pidge, I’m hanging up now. Stay where you are.”

The group of Galra forces at the gate looked to be mostly robot sentries, from what Isabelle could see from the distance. One figure stood out. They were tall—taller than the sentries and significantly taller than Isabelle and Shiro—with broad, muscular shoulders. Purple electric energy glowed on one of the figure’s arms, almost reminiscent of the giant robot they had fought. The prosthetic forearm was huge, vicious-looking, and had glowing veins of the same energy along the seams of the metal. One eye glowed unnaturally in the dim light and Isabelle felt her stomach drop through the floor, heart pounding in her chest. 

“Sendak,” she whispered. “It’s gotta be. The ears are the same—big, bat-like, and fluffy—and he has the same kind of glowing prosthetic eye.”

“You can see all that from here?” Shiro asked. Isabelle nodded, swallowing hard. Shiro took a few steps back, turning to shield Lance as best he could. Isabelle followed, backing up, but positioned herself between Sendak and Shiro.

“Looks like ten or so sentries, plus Sendak,” Isabelle whispered. “Have you borrowed anything from the armory yet?”

“Not yet,” Shiro muttered, turning away from her to lay Lance carefully on an elevated platform at the end of the entrance hall. Isabelle grimaced.

Shiro took off down the hallway towards the castle’s entrance, and Isabelle followed hot on his heels. The cool night breeze wafted into the hall from outside and brushed past Isabelle’s face. She frowned, pulling her hair back into a tight low ponytail as she ran. She and Shiro stopped short once they exited the castle. Isabelle rolled her shoulders, taking up a somewhat defensive stance with her hands up in front of her, ready to summon her swords.

“Stand aside,” Sendak commanded, his voice low and menacing.

“No,” Isabelle said defiantly. She lifted her chin, glaring up at Sendak.

“You’re not getting in.” Shiro stepped back into a defensive stance as well, and his robotic arm glowed purple.

“Yes. I am,” Sendak said. There was more than confidence to his voice. There was complete and utter certainty, almost arrogance; failure was not an option, and Sendak seemed not to even think it would come to that. He clearly saw no threat from them. It set Isabelle on edge, and she heard her blood rushing in her ears.

“No,” Isabelle spat through gritted teeth. “You’re _not.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! I hope everyone is well, staying healthy and safe. Allow me to offer you a new chapter in this trying time? Leave a comment to let me know what you think.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Yes. I am.” Sendak’s prosthetic arm shot forward, and his metal hand grasped the front of Shiro’s armor, yanking him forward.

Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she summoned her swords before running after Shiro as he was dragged along the ground. Isabelle swore internally as Sendak raised his fist to strike Shiro. She dove over him, rolling to a kneel and raising her swords to block the blow. Isabelle grunted, struggling to remain upright under the force of Sendak’s strike, and Shiro stumbled to his feet behind her.

Sendak swiped his arm at Isabelle, knocking her aside before attacking Shiro again. Isabelle rolled to her feet, watching as Shiro activated his own enhanced prosthetic arm, which glowed purple as he yelled and lunged at Sendak. The blade of Shiro’s hand scraped along Sendak’s metal arm with a screech that sent a shudder through Isabelle’s whole body.

Isabelle shook herself as Shiro bobbed and weaved in and out of Sendak’s striking range, driving him back to attack from different angles. _That arm is a long-range weapon, and he clearly favors that side…I can work with that,_ Isabelle thought. Isabelle hauled herself up, taking a few running steps before diving into a roll, slashing at the back of Sendak’s knees as Shiro jumped up to attack higher.

Sendak growled, turning and swinging on Isabelle with his other arm. Isabelle ducked, quickly switching her grip on her right sword and slashing twice, back and forth, across Sendak’s right side. He hissed in pain and Isabelle side-stepped behind him, aiming a kick at his knees and a punch into his kidneys, clenching her fist around the handle of her sword.

Sendak stumbled, and Shiro took the opportunity to aim a punch at his face. Sendak deflected the punch with his prosthetic arm, turning to use that momentum to swipe backhandedly at Isabelle. Isabelle braced to block the strike, but was still driven back a few feet with the force, her heels digging into the dirt. She swiped with one sword at Sendak’s face, and he used the shift in her weight to knock her off-balance, sending her tumbling into the dirt before rounding on Shiro again, throwing a punch with his prosthetic arm that Shiro caught with his own glowing metal hand.

“I see you spent some time with the druids. They do love to experiment,” Sendak commented. Isabelle rolled her eyes, coughing as she pushed herself to her feet. “Too bad you didn’t get the latest model.” Sendak’s arm suddenly surged with glowing purple energy, shooting forward with enough force and speed to knock Shiro through the entrance to the castle. Sendak’s chest and torso now faced Isabelle.

Rage flared in Isabelle’s chest, and she willed her swords to shift back into bayard clips at her belt before lunging at Sendak. She ducked under a punch he swung at her head, taking a long step in close, twisting her hips to put her full strength behind a quick succession of punches aimed at Sendak’s stomach and ribs. Isabelle aimed a low roundhouse kick at his knee, grinning viciously when it buckled and Sendak stumbled to a kneel.

He aimed another backhand strike at her, struggling to rise to his feet again. Isabelle blocked the strike, grabbing his wrist and stepping back to maneuver him into an arm bar. _Oh **fuck** , _Isabelle thought as she felt Sendak’s arm shift under her grip, his elbow bending to allow him to bend his arm out of the lock. Sendak wrapped his arm around her torso from the front, hauling her up into the air as he stood.

Isabelle’s eyes widened and she tucked her knees to her chest, swinging her feet up to throw herself into a backflip. Isabelle let out a breathless laugh as she landed, raising her fists to her cheeks and throwing a punch at Sendak’s chest. He had deflected the strike and grabbed Isabelle with his prosthetic hand, summoning another wave of purple energy to throw her back towards the entrance of the castle as he had Shiro. Isabelle grunted as she hit the ground on her back, tumbling backwards with the force of the throw before landing on her side near Shiro.

Next to her, Shiro struggled to his knees just as Sendak stretched his arm out towards them. Isabelle groaned as she stood quickly, her head spinning violently, and she ducked out of the way of Sendak’s arm. She stumbled into the wall near where they had laid Lance, who was still unconscious. Shiro had dodged the strike moving backwards, stumbling back into the dark foyer of the castle. Isabelle took a deep shuddering breath, glancing at Lance, then back at the group of sentries that still stood by the entrance, before running to Shiro’s side.

Sendak launched himself forward, using his prosthetic hand as something like a grappling hook to propel himself inside, moving to strike at Shiro with his other arm. Shiro and Isabelle side-stepped him in opposite directions, and Shiro caught his wrist with one hand and his shoulder with another, turning his own body to use as a fulcrum, redirecting Sendak’s momentum and launching him to the floor. Isabelle and Shiro rushed forward as Sendak rolled to a kneel, Shiro raising his glowing prosthetic arm to Sendak’s throat as he turned around. Isabelle summoned one of her swords, pressing it to Sendak’s chest. With his own giant prosthetic hand, Sendak pressed the metal claws under Shiro’s chin, shooting his free hand forward to wrap around Isabelle’s neck.

“Let him go, or your friend won’t make it,” a smooth, low-pitched voice spoke suddenly to Isabelle’s right.

Isabelle made a short, strained choking sound as she heard a soft grunt as a body hit the floor. She turned her head as much as she was able towards the sound, grimacing as Sendak tightened his grip on her neck. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw Lance crumpled on the floor and the robotic sentries surrounding the entrance in a half-circle with their weapons raised. The Galra who had spoken stood at the front of the entrance. He was a taller than the sentries, with dark purple and blue skin, glowing yellow eyes with no visible pupils, and what seemed to be small crests on either side of his head towards the back.

Sendak made his move to attack while Shiro and Isabelle were both distracted. Isabelle gasped and yelped as she found herself suddenly lifted from the floor by the neck. She changed her sword back into a bayard clip, grasping at Sendak’s hand at her throat. She clawed towards his face in vain for a second before she was thrown backwards towards the half-circle of sentries. Her head snapped back with the force of the throw and hit the floor hard. Her vision swam with dark spots, and she was vaguely aware of Shiro yelling her name before she blacked out.

* * *

Isabelle’s head spun as she came back to consciousness, dark spots still dancing across her vision. She noticed immediately that she had been moved, sitting upright on her knees. The back of her head throbbed where it had hit the floor. She rolled her shoulders, moving to stretch her arms and quickly discovering that her wrists were handcuffed and bound behind her. She grimaced, closing her eyes against a wave of dizziness as her head spun once more. Isabelle took a deep breath—or, attempted to, as her chest seized, sending her into a violent, rasping coughing fit. She wheezed, gasping for air and groaning softly as her throat burned.

_Fuck! Me! Up! That sucked. Okay, okay, let’s try breathing not so deeply this time. And let’s maybe figure out what the hell happened here_ , Isabelle thought, forcing herself to take another breath, slower and shallower this time. She lifted her head, looking up to see that she, Shiro, and Lance had been moved to the bridge. Lance and Shiro were still unconscious, though Shiro had also been propped up onto his knees. The robotic sentries stood idly nearby, and Sendak and the other Galra soldier who had come to help him were working at the control panel, their backs turned to Isabelle.

A few moments later, Shiro startled awake next to her. He looked wildly around for a moment, gasping for air, before his dark, slate grey eyes settled on Isabelle. She smiled weakly. Shiro returned the gesture before his eyes dropped to the floor. Isabelle nodded, humming to herself. _This sucks. This sucks hardcore. Shiro and I have to get out of here somehow. We could…If we have some sort of mutiny and retake the bridge, we could buy some time for Hunk and Coran to get back. It looks like Sendak and the other guy are the only two other flesh and blood Galra here. But then there’s the sentries to deal with, but maybe there’s a way to shut them down? We have to get out of these cuffs first though…_ Isabelle thought, shifting her wrists behind her, feeling for some sort of locking mechanism on the cuffs. There did not seem to be a manual lock, and they radiated a slight warmth that led Isabelle to believe they were powered by whatever purple energy seemed to power Sendak’s arm. _Lance is still out and that’s concerning. Where’s Pidge? Where are Keith and Allura? Did they come back from the village?_ Isabelle wondered.

“Haxus!” Sendak shouted suddenly. Isabelle jumped, startled out of her train of thought. Next to her, Shiro stared at the floor sadly, eyebrows furrowed. “I want whoever’s on this ship found and terminated!”

“Commander Sendak,” the other Galra soldier said. _Haxus,_ Isabelle told herself, narrowing her eyes at his back. “I received a transmission generating from somewhere inside.” He pressed a few buttons on the control panel, and a radio transmission played.

“There’s not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in,” Allura’s voice spoke.

“You got it. Tell me what to do,” Pidge had replied.

“She’s telling the intruder how to take down our defenses,” Haxus explained. Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she bit back a satisfied grin. _The others are still out there, still fighting_ , she thought. Isabelle glanced at Shiro, who wore a small smirk at hearing the transmission. Isabelle allowed herself to mirror the expression, snickering under her breath.

“Yes,” Sendak said slowly. “But she’s also giving away his location. Find that room. Kill the paladin,” he ordered. The sentries behind Isabelle and Shiro filed out of the room. _Oh no_. Isabelle felt her face drop, fear and anger bubbling in her chest.

“Repair the engine. Emperor Zarkon has commanded us to bring him Voltron. This ship will rise before day’s end.” Sendak turned back to Haxus.

Isabelle curled her lip. _Emperor Zarkon can fucking stick it. This ship won’t leave the ground with you piloting it if we have anything to say about it,_ Isabelle thought, shifting her shoulders and pulling at her restraints again, willing herself not to groan aloud in frustration when they did not budge.

“Shiro,” she whispered harshly. Shiro looked up at her desperately, panicked.

“Isabelle, what are we going to do?” he asked. “How are we getting out of this? What happens if they get this ship in the air?” Isabelle bit her lip. She had been about to ask him the same. Making a face, she breathed deeply, steeling herself.

“Shiro,” she said more firmly. Shiro paused, locking eyes with her. “Breath with me.” Isabelle breathed deeply, holding her breath for a moment as her lungs filled with air, then breathing out slowly. Shiro nodded, taking deep breaths in time with her.

“Okay,” Shiro sighed after a few moments, speaking in a hushed whisper. “We need a plan. But I can’t move these cuffs, and Lance is still out cold.”

“I can’t get out either,” Isabelle said in the same quiet tone. “Even if somehow, we can overpower Haxus and Sendak—which is laughably unlikely, all things considered—we can’t fly the castle. We can’t even make the attempt with our hands tied.”

“And what about Pidge?” Shiro asked. “Pidge is downstairs trying to take back the main controls and shut the particle barrier.”

“And Keith and Allura are trapped outside,” Isabelle added. “What do we do?”

“I think we’re stuck for the moment,” Shiro sighed, turning away from Isabelle and looking down. Isabelle grimaced, shifting uncomfortably. “We have to have faith in the others. Have faith in our team. They can do this.”

Isabelle nodded in agreement, humming softly. _Come on guys. You can do this. I believe in you,_ she told herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well and staying safe as best you can. Have a new chapter? Leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Sub panel energy transducer is go,” Sendak said from the control panel where he stood. The other Galra soldier, Haxus, had gone down to the engine room to get it up and running again. Isabelle exchanged a worried look with Shiro. Isabelle dropped her head to her chest, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

“ _Santa María, madre de Dios, protégemos por favor. Por favor ayuda a Pidge y prestale su fuerza y valor. Amen,”_ Isabelle murmured under her breath. She glanced at Shiro once again. He watched her with a wide-eyed, sober expression.

“You…haven’t prayed in years. At least, not to my knowledge,” he whispered.

“I haven’t…But it’s not every day I’m handcuffed on an alien space ship with another alien trying to _steal_ said ship and deliver us to his emperor, who’s trying to take over the universe…” Isabelle replied dryly. “I figured we need all the help we could get.”

Isabelle fidgeted nervously, twisting her wrists in her handcuffs. Whatever magic or energy held them together pulsed as Isabelle moved, and she frowned. Shiro raised an eyebrow at her and Isabelle looked thoughtfully at him for a long moment before rolling her shoulders back, shifting her wrists in the cuffs in earnest.

Suddenly the cuffs gave, and Isabelle pulled her wrists apart a little, though she still felt the energy crackling between the cuffs. She held her arms apart for a few seconds before the cuffs clicked back together, as if drawn by magnets. Isabelle’s head snapped up, and she stared at Shiro in shock. Shiro opened and closed his mouth a few times before starting to struggle against his own restraints.

“How did you do that?” he asked quietly. Isabelle shook her head, shrugging.

“I kinda just…pulled and they gave. But I can only hold them like that for a few seconds before they pull back,” she replied in the same hushed tone, glancing quickly at Sendak’s back.

“Maybe you’re just stronger than me?” Shiro suggested.

“Maybe.” Isabelle shrugged, sitting back from the kneeling position she had been in and turning her attention back to watch Sendak at the control panel. She had missed whatever he had said to Haxus, but the communication line was quiet now, and Isabelle glared at his back. _A few seconds…A few seconds is a long time if you can do something with it…Maybe, maybe if Pidge gets through, and gets Keith and Allura inside…Maybe I can do something with that if they distract Sendak long enough,_ she thought.

“The bridge is go,” Sendak said. Isabelle curled her lip, clenching her jaw.

“Powering up,” Haxus replied. _Pidge! Pidge please be okay, please be doing something,_ Isabelle thought desperately.

“Sir, something is wrong,” Haxus said after a few moments. Isabelle raised her eyebrows, glancing curiously at Shiro. He shrugged, nodding curtly back to where Sendak stood. Isabelle could feel the tension rolling off him.

The ground shook slightly, suddenly, and there was a loud electric crackle from the other end of the radio communication. Haxus screamed suddenly, and the radio cut out. Isabelle felt her heart pound in her chest, and she bit back a grin. _Pidge! That had to have been Pidge!_

“Haxus? Haxus!” Sendak yelled suddenly. Isabelle turned to Shiro, who wore a small, vicious smirk. She mirrored the expression as Sendak tried in vain to reconnect radio communication with the engine room. After a few moments, however, the system rebooted. “Haxus. Report in.”

“Haxus is gone, and you’re next!” Pidge exclaimed from the other end of the line. Shiro gasped and gave a short, quiet snicker. Isabelle bit her lip against a breathless laugh, but gave a muffled snort instead. _That’s my girl! You fucking tell him, Pidge!_ She thought.

“You’ve slowed me down, but this ship is mine!” Sendak snarled in response. “You will turn yourself over to me immediately!”

“Never!” Pidge yelled. Isabelle grinned, but the smile fell from her face when Sendak turned his furious glare on her and Shiro.

“Well then maybe your leaders can convince you,” Sendak said, walking towards them.

“What do you want?” Shiro spat.

“Your _friend_ wanted to hear from you,” Sendak drawled. He raised his prosthetic hand and purpled energy crackled along his fingertips.

“Pidge? Pidge, don’t listen to—” Shiro’s words were cut off and he screamed in pain as Sendak grabbed his shoulder with his electrified hand. Isabelle shouted in surprise. Anger and fear roiled in her gut.

“Pidge! Pidge, if you can hear me, don’t listen to a word he says!” she yelled. “You got this; I believe in you!”

“And would you like to be next?” Sendak growled at her, letting go of Shiro. Isabelle swallowed hard as Sendak approached her. He set his electrically charged claws just under her jaw, but Isabelle lifted her chin defiantly.

“Get fucked,” Isabelle said, her voice displaying more confidence than she felt. Sendak scoffed, grabbing her shoulder. Isabelle shrieked, her back arching as her muscles seized in pain. She was vaguely aware of Sendak speaking to Pidge, but she could not process his words. _Pidge no! Don’t do it! Whatever it is, don’t do it!_ Isabelle thought, and she tried to speak through the pain, but the words would not come. Sendak let go of her shoulder suddenly, and Isabelle slumped over sideways, gasping for air.

“I am impressed that you were able to escape,” Senak said a few moments later, standing over Shiro. “Perhaps it would be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit.”

“Don’t.” Isabelle coughed. “Don’t you _dare_. If you even think about setting foot on Earth, I’ll—”

“I’m impressed that you’re still conscious as well. You… _earthlings_ …are more durable than I expected,” Sendak interrupted, looking to Isabelle with a cruel curiosity. Isabelle shifted, pulling herself back up into a kneel and glaring up at him. “Of course, they will all end up broken, just like the two of _you_. Now that we have Voltron, every planet, every _race_ , all share the same fate.”

Sendak turned away from them, back to the control panel. Isabelle clenched her jaw, glaring. _Don’t do it. Don’t say anything else unless you want to get electrocuted again,_ she thought. She looked over at Shiro, who had slumped forward with his head in his chest, unconscious. _Pidge is out there, I’m sure she can figure out how to power down the particle barrier and get Keith and Allura inside. She’s got this. I believe in her, in them…I believe in them_.

Pidge suddenly appeared at the entrance to the bridge. Isabelle grinned at her, laughing breathlessly. Sendak turned towards the entrance, snarling under his breath as he shot his prosthetic arm towards Pidge. Pidge rolled away, disappearing from Isabelle’s line of sight, and Sendak ran after her. Seconds later, Pidge ran back into the bridge, skidding to a stop in front of Isabelle and Shiro.

“Shiro, wake up,” Pidge said quickly. “It’s me, Pidge.”

Isabelle glanced between Shiro and Pidge, eyes widening as she watched Sendak return to the bridge. She yelped a warning that did not have the chance to become words as Sendak grabbed Pidge with his prosthetic arm, lifting her up off the ground.

“You really think your hologram trick would work with me?” he asked. Pidge struggled in his grip, flailing her legs.

Isabelle turned towards the entrance of the bridge at the sound of footsteps. Keith and Allura ran in, Keith with his sword drawn, and Isabelle grinned. Glancing at Shiro, who had woken up, and Lance, who was beginning to stir back into consciousness, Isabelle stumbled to her feet.

“Stand back!” Sendak ordered Keith and Allura, still holding Pidge high in the air.

Lance groggily reached for his laser gun, sitting up to aim at Sendak. Isabelle shifted her wrists, pulling them apart again. She winced at the pain that lanced through her arms and shoulders, but in the few seconds she was able to hold her wrists apart, she jumped, pulling her knees into her chest, and brought her arms forward. When she landed, her arms were in front of her. At the same time, Lance fired at Sendak, who dropped Pidge and rounded on them.

Lance swooned, dropping backwards, and Isabelle yelled and charged at Sendak with Shiro right behind her. Sendak punched Shiro in the gut, sending him sprawling backwards. Isabelle ducked under a swing from Sendak, taking a long step in close and driving a punch into his side. Keith rushed forward, swinging his sword. Sendak dodged the strike, moving to the side, closer to Isabelle.

Isabelle drove a side kick into his knee, causing him to stumble and pitch sideways. Keith made eye contact with her, and Isabelle could practically see the light bulb go off over his head. Keith drove a hard side kick into Sendak’s chest, knocking him back. Isabelle jumped backwards, out of the way. Sendak picked up Keith with his prosthetic arm, throwing him back and away. Isabelle skirted the edge of the fight, backing towards where Keith landed and rolled up to a kneel.

Pidge yelled, charging forward. She sliced at the purple energy connecting Sendak’s prosthetic arm. They energy flickered for a second before shorting out, dropping Sendak’s hand and rendering the prosthetic useless. Sendak shouted, lunging forward. Pidge’s eyes widened and she scrambled back. Isabelle steeled herself, moving to put herself in front of Pidge. Sendak charged a few steps towards her before Isabelle raised one leg to kick Sendak square in the chest with all her strength. With a yell, she drove him back. Sendak snarled and charged in again, swinging a punch at her.

“Pidge move!” Isabelle yelled, blocking and deflecting Sendak’s punch with both of her bound hands.

Pidge dove to the side, and Sendak swung at Isabelle again. Isabelle ducked under the punch, and Pidge shot her bayard at Sendak, wrapping it around his ankles. Sendak tripped and kicked the electric rope off, rounding on Isabelle. She ducked under his next punch, stepping to the side and aiming a roundhouse kick at his chest. Isabelle yelped in surprise as Sendak caught her leg, wrapping his arm around it at the thigh and pinning it to his side.

Isabelle snarled, punching Sendak in the stomach, and grabbing the collar of his armor with her cuffed hands. Isabelle kicked her standing leg forward, between Sendak’s feet, and used the momentum of her subsequent drop to the floor to launch him over her and roll to a kneeling position with one knee planted on Sendak’s chest. Sendak struggled against her, but Isabelle leaned all her weight into the leg on Sendak’s chest and shot a quick punch to his temple, effectively knocking him out.

“Keith, now!” Princess Allura yelled from the control panel, activating a barrier to seal off the crystal power source of the castle. Isabelle sighed deeply, stumbling to her feet and stepping over Sendak.

“Uh, change of plans,” Keith said, lunging forward to catch Isabelle as she swayed dangerously on her feet. “Isabelle took care of it.”

Pidge rushed to Isabelle, helping Keith steady her. Pidge drew her bayard, using the glowing green blade to cut through Isabelle’s handcuffs. Isabelle smiled gratefully at the two of them, and walked with Pidge towards Shiro, where she cut his handcuffs too and hauled him up.

“Lance!” Keith exclaimed, kneeling near Lance, who had regained consciousness again. “Lance, are you okay?”

“We did it,” Lance groaned. “We are a good team.” The two stared at each other for a long moment, and Keith cracked a small smile. Isabelle smiled softly at the two of them, stepping over after a moment to offer Lance a hand to stand up.

“So, Captain, can you show us that badass kick-flip-throw-thing you did to Sendak?” Lance asked. Isabelle laughed, and Shiro snickered behind her.

“Maybe,” Isabelle replied. “Maybe one day.”

Suddenly, Lance swooned again, wobbling on his feet and collapsing onto Isabelle. Isabelle sword under her breath, her own knees nearly buckling as she caught Lance. Keith wrapped an arm around Isabelle’s shoulders the keep her from falling backwards, yelling for Shiro as he awkwardly replaced Isabelle’s arms with his own, taking Lance’s weight and lifting him into a fireman’s carry.

Shiro and Allura rushed towards them, and Allura led them everyone down to the infirmary. Once there, she quickly activated a healing pod, and Keith carefully settled Lance into it. Isabelle bit the inside of her cheek worriedly as she stared at Lance, unconscious in the healing pod, but looking as if he were sleeping.

“After a day in here, he should be fully healed,” Allura explained softly.

“Pidge, we can’t thank you enough for all you did,” Shiro said, turning towards Pidge. Isabelle nodded, wincing as her head spun slightly. “I can’t help but feel you were meant to be a part of our team…but I understand if you want to leave.”

“Dad used to tell me how close he was with his crew members. They were like family. Now I understand what he was talking about,” Pidge explained. “I’m staying with you guys. Let’s stop Zarkon, for _all_ of our families.”

“Good to have you back on the team,” Keith said, smiling just slightly. A slow, soft smile spread across Pidge’s face.

“Sorry, Captain, guess you don’t get to see if the Green Lion likes you after all,” Pidge commented after a moment. Isabelle let out a short laugh.

“Nice… _nice._ ” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I forgot how you mentioned that you might be able to put invisibility cloaking into my jet. How could I ever pass that up?”

Pidge laughed. After a few minutes, Isabelle, Shiro, then Allura joined in. Isabelle snickered, nudging Keith playfully with her shoulder. He rolled his eyes, but Pidge made a silly face at him, and he broke, laughing loudly along with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another chapter in these trying times? I hope everyone is staying as healthy and safe as possible. Leave a comment to let me know what you think, please and thanks?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Coran, I appreciate your concern, but this is a little….” Shiro trailed off as Coran ushered him and Isabelle into the infirmary and directed them to take off their armor. “Much? Don’t you think?”

“Really, Coran, we’re fine,” Isabelle added. Coran raised one eyebrow at her in an unimpressed look.

“You both just fought Sendak, were held captive, and then were mildly electrocuted!” Coran exclaimed. Isabelle made a face, glancing at Shiro, who gave a one-armed shrug. “You are not _fine!”_

Isabelle and Shiro both mumbled slightly, taking off their respective armor, leaving them in the black bodysuits they wore underneath said armor. Isabelle hopped up onto an exam table next to Shiro and undid the zippers on the inside seam of her boots, kicking them off to clatter to the floor. She hummed, looking around the infirmary, forcing herself not to linger on the healing pod Lance was in. _He’ll be fine,_ she thought. _Allura said he’d be back to normal after a day in there. He’ll be fine._

“Isabelle,” Coran said, staring at her with wide eyes. Isabelle hummed, her head snapping back to face Coran. “What in Alfor’s name happened to your neck?”

“What? Oh…” Isabelle trailed off, grimacing. One hand came up to touch her neck, wincing in pain at any pressure. Coran quickly swatted her hands away, gently directing her head up, then to the sides so he could see. “Sendak kind of…put me in a choke-hold during the fight.”

“Oh, but sure _“We’re fine, Coran.”_ My foot you are!” he scoffed, rolling his eyes slightly. Isabelle bit back a smirk when Coran turned back to her and Shiro with a fond expression. “This is already bruising. And in a slightly hand-shaped manner, by the way. I don’t think there’s any damage to your throat or vocal cords…Unless it hurts too much to breathe, or hurts at all to speak?”

Isabelle shook her head in response. Coran nodded once and turned to Shiro, checking him similarly for injuries, bruises, or any lasting damage. Shiro only sustained some scratches and small cuts to his face and arm. Isabelle shifted in her seat, sitting up straighter and rolling her shoulders. As the adrenaline from the fight wore off, her shoulders began to ache, and she grimaced as she stretched. Shiro caught her gaze out of the corner of his eye while Coran examined a cut across his cheek and gave Isabelle a pointed look. Isabelle nodded once.

“Hey Coran?” Isabelle said, waving one hand in his direction. “My shoulders are bothering me a bit. I think I just might have pulled a muscle or a few but—”

“What did you do?” Coran asked, stepping over and motioning for Isabelle to move her arms slowly so they were held straight out in front of her. Isabelle winced as her shoulders protested the movement. Coran hummed and had Isabelle drop her hands.

“She kinda used her arms to pull in the handcuffs so she could separate them enough to maneuver them in front of her, to use her hands,” Shiro explained. Isabelle nodded towards Shiro. Coran knit his eyebrows.

“Those cuffs were locked together with quintessence-fueled magnets. You’d have to be very strong—more than the average Altean, at least—to be able to do that. It’s a wonder your shoulders are still attached!” Coran shook his head slightly. “Would you mind if I poked around your shoulders for a tick?” Isabelle shook her head and Coran stepped behind her, gently prodding at her shoulders.

“Nothing feels particularly out of the ordinary, but if you think you pulled something, I’ll get you an ice pack,” Coran commented. Isabelle and Shiro both nodded, murmuring in agreement. “I wonder…Are average humans are stronger than the average Altean, or are you just stronger than the average human, Isabelle?” he asked as he rummaged through what Isabelle thought must be a refrigerator at the back of the infirmary.

“I…don’t know,” she murmured, glancing at Shiro. They shared a long look. “At least, I can’t speak for average Altean strength versus average humans…I might be stronger than the average human, though. But even then, not by much?” Isabelle shrugged.

Coran returned to where Shiro and Isabelle sat, handing Isabelle an ice pack. She smiled gratefully, taking it, and beginning to reach over her shoulder to hold it to her upper back, between her shoulder blades where the ache was concentrated. Coran stared, blinking owlishly. Isabelle knit her eyebrows for a moment before snickering at herself.

“Here, give it to me…Since you clearly can’t be trusted not to hurt yourself in the process,” Shiro teased, taking the ice pack from Isabelle with his robotic hand and holding it to her back. Isabelle scoffed a short laugh, and Coran gave them both a fond smile.

* * *

Later in the day, just after dinner, Isabelle found Hunk alone in the kitchen. He sighed softly, absently cleaning some of the dishes from dinner in the sink. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed upset. Isabelle frowned, slowly approaching and tapping Hunk lightly on the shoulder. He startled slightly, as if Isabelle had interrupted a train of thought.

“Ah! Oh, hey Isabelle. Sorry, I was…just thinking,” Hunk said, setting the dishes aside. Isabelle shook her head slightly as she moved to stand next to Hunk, picking up a towel nearby and drying the dishes.

“No worries. You seemed upset…” Isabelle trailed off, turning her head to look at Hunk. He fidgeted under her gaze, reaching to scratch the back of his neck with one hand, looking away and giving a soft huff. “Is everything alright? Did something...happen while you and Coran were on the Balmera?” Hunk froze, and his eyes took on a faraway look.

“You could say that yeah,” he murmured. Suddenly he turned back to Isabelle, laying one hand on her forearm, gesturing with the other as he spoke. “It’s just so sad, Isabelle! I feel so helpless! Shay, and her people, they live and work in the mines. They-They’re slaves to the Galra, mining the Balmera’s crystals, and the Galra don’t replenish the creature’s energy. So-so the planet is _dying_ and the people are _enslaved_ and Shay’s _never_ seen the _sky!”_

“Hunk,” Isabelle started softly, moving lay a hand on Hunk’s shoulder. He paused, giving her a desperate, pleading look.

“I promised we would come back. I promised Shay Voltron would help them!” Hunk exclaimed. Isabelle took a deep breath, squeezing Hunk’s shoulder and slowly rubbing up and down his upper arm.

“We will,” Isabelle said firmly. “When Lance wakes up and we can get the castle ready to leave Arus, we will.”

“I know.” Hunk sighed, scrunching his face. Isabelle tilted her head slightly. _What’s up, Hunk?_ She wondered. “It’s just… I can’t stop _thinking_ about Shay, about her people. They’re totally enslaved, and the Galra have completely taken over this planet that used to thrive. This…This is what Zarkon does to planets, to people. And he’s done this throughout the _universe_. How is Voltron supposed to stop him? How are we supposed to save all those people? Oh god I’m freaking out, I might throw up. How—”

Hunk cut off with a soft ‘oof’ as Isabelle stepped forward and hugged him tightly. He floundered for a moment before wrapping his arms around Isabelle’s back, returning the hug, and burying his face in Isabelle’s shoulder. _He’s got a point…How are we going to do this? We have no plan for how to free planets from Zarkon’s rule, or the kind of allies or resources we’d need to seriously fight him. Allura hasn’t told us anything, and that’s if she even has a plan…What are we doing out here?_ Isabelle wondered, but shook her head slightly when she heard Hunk whine softly and his breathing hitch, as if he had started crying. _No. Not now. Hunk needs you right now._

“Hey Hunk,” Isabelle said softly, pulling back from the hug just enough to look at Hunk’s face, taking in his wide, teary, dark brown eyes. He sniffled slightly. “I’m going to show you something Shiro and I do when we feel like this, okay?”

“Okay. Okay, yeah. Sounds good.” Hunk nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. Isabelle nodded, smiling encouragingly, still holding Hunk’s upper arms. She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment and motioning for Hunk to do the same. They spent a few long minutes like that, breathing in sync, drawing on each other’s strength and support, and Hunk’s shaky, hiccupping breathing evened out.

“Better?” Isabelle asked. Hunk nodded, smiling sheepishly.

“Yeah. Thanks, Isabelle. I’m sorry I freaked out a little there, but thanks for this,” Hunk replied. Isabelle squared her shoulders and looked seriously at Hunk.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” she said firmly. “You haven’t done anything wrong, there’s no reason to be sorry. I know you’re worried, I know you’re scared…I am too.”

“It’s a lot to process,” Hunk murmured. Isabelle nodded.

“It _is_ a lot,” Isabelle agreed. “But we’ll get through it. You don’t have to do this alone, Hunk. You have us; me and Shiro and Lance and Keith and Pidge. We have Coran and Allura too. We’re a team. That means being there for each other when things are tough. We got you, Hunk…We got you…I’m not sure how we’re going to beat Zarkon yet, or how we’ll be able to free all the people he’s hurt or enslaved. But you know what I know?”

“What?” Hunk asked, reaching up to tighten his headband. Isabelle smiled.

“I know we’ll do it. I know we’ll work it out. I’m not sure how yet, and _that’s okay_. You got that? It’s okay not to know _everything_ right now. Sometimes you figure things out as you go and _that’s okay_. But I know that we _will_ defeat Zarkon,” she said. _Somehow,_ her mind supplied unhelpfully. “I believe in us.”

“Thanks, Isabelle,” Hunk said. “I needed that.”

“Any time,” Isabelle replied.

“We should probably finish those dishes, huh?” Hunk snickered.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Isabelle smiled wryly, picking the towel up from where she had left it on the kitchen counter.

“You know, this is helping too, in a way,” Hunk commented after a moment. Isabelle raised an eyebrow, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “Gives me something else to focus on.”

“Gotcha,” Isabelle said.

“It almost reminds me of home…My mom and I used to cook together all the time. Cleaning up the kitchen after was part of the gig,” Hunk continued. Isabelle let out a short laugh.

“I cooked with my dad,” Isabelle commented. “Him, my brother, my cousins, my _Titis_ , my _Abuela_. Everyone learns how to cook in my house.”

“Abuela,” Hunk echoed. “So, your family’s Spanish? Would you teach me how to cook Spanish food? Y’know, if we ever get the chance to cook some earth-adjacent food…”

“You bet!” Isabelle exclaimed. “I gotchu for Hispanic food, Hunk. Or, I gotchu for Puerto Rican food. Tell you what—if we ever get to a planet or place that lets us get some food that’s even vaguely like stuff we use on Earth, we’ll cook, yeah?”

“Aw, that’d be so great. I mean, food goo isn’t bad, but…” Hunk trailed off.

“But it’ll get kinda boring after a while?” Isabelle supplied.

“Yeah. Oh man, I’m gonna miss real food,” Hunk added. Isabelle nodded, humming in agreement. “So, I know you probably have high standards for Hispanic food restaurants but did you ever visit that one place in the city that was about a half hour from the Garrison? The one on the corner, across from the movie theater?”

_“Mita’s?”_ Isabelle asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah!” Hunk cheered, fist-pumping the air. “I loved that place. I can’t speak for authenticity, but I don’t know, I always thought it was really good.” 

“I love _Mita’s_!” Isabelle chirped. “Definitely the best place in town for Hispanic food. I…I used to go there all the time. Especially whenever I got homesick. My dad and my brother moved with me when I started school at the Garrison but…the rest of our family still lives in New York, and I really miss it sometimes. And _Mita’s_ food is just… _mmm_ …I think they know me by name over there.”

“I totally get it,” Hunk added. “I missed my home and my family too when I was at the Garrison. Maybe, maybe that’s why we should cook if we get the chance. Bring everyone’s spirits up. I feel like food really brings people together.”

Isabelle smiled brightly, humming to herself as she finished drying the dishes. She and Hunk shuffled around the kitchen for a few minutes, putting bowls and utensils away. When they finished, the two stood in the doorway of the kitchen for a moment. Suddenly, Hunk pulled Isabelle into another hug, murmuring another soft ‘ _thank you’_. Isabelle smiled, hugging Hunk tightly for a moment before they stepped back, heading back down the hall into the rest of the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I hope you're all doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle rolled onto her side in bed, curling in on herself and squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to make herself fall back to sleep. After a few minutes, she let out a sound of frustration and rolled onto her back. Isabelle sat up, absently adjusting the messy bun she pulled her hair into. _Actually, you know what? Fuck it…Restless energy and tossing and turning in bed never did me any good. No one will be on the training deck at this ungodly hour,_ she thought, pulling the satiny headband from her hair, tossing it onto the pillow, and securing her long curls in a high ponytail. She changed quickly into a pair of leggings, sports bra, and pulled on one of the soft dance shirts in her bag before slipping her sneakers on and leaving her room.

As Isabelle rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the training deck and the armory, she blinked in surprise to see the lights on in the training deck. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, approaching the room slowly. Looking inside, she saw Keith alone on the training deck, swinging his sword. He was dressed in the black t-shirt, pants, and boots he had been when the group left Earth, his red and white jacket thrown haphazardly against the wall. The doors opened automatically with a soft, mechanical hiss as Isabelle approached. Keith startled slightly, pausing and turning to look at her.

“What are you doing here, Isabelle?” He asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Isabelle replied easily. “It’s some ungodly hour late, and we should both be asleep.” Keith gave a noncommittal grunt. “But neither of us can, can we?”

“No.” Keith made a face, and even from here Isabelle could see his eyes harden and his body tense. “I can’t sleep.”

“Do you want to talk about whatever’s clearly bothering you?” Isabelle asked. Keith shook his head, scoffing slightly.

“No offense, but would I be down here if I wanted to talk about it?” Keith retorted. Isabelle raised her hands in a placating gesture as she walked out onto the training deck. Keith bristled slightly, giving a short, frustrated growl. “It’s just—How are we supposed to fight armies of the Galra? Sendak was _one_ officer, and it took all of us to take him down. He handed us our asses today! But _somehow_ , we’re supposed to fight organized forces and defeat Zarkon?”

_I thought you didn’t want to talk about it,_ Isabelle thought sarcastically. She shook her head internally, shoving the thought away. Keith had been pacing back and forth as he spoke, gesturing pointedly with his hands. Isabelle scrunched her face. _He’s frustrated, anxious…but in a different way than Hunk was. He’s focused on this one thing in particular, fighting. I wonder what brought this on—I want to help, if I can—but I don’t think he’d tell me…What to do instead?_

“I think I saw some punching bags in the locker room the last time I was in there,” Isabelle said slowly. Keith stopped pacing, looking at her with piercing dark eyes. Isabelle held his gaze, raising an eyebrow and nodding towards the entrance to the locker room. “Want to help me look? And if we find them, I’ll show you a thing or two?”

“Yeah…” Keith trailed off, looking towards the locker room door. “Yeah, okay.”

There were padded punching pads in the locker rooms—about as tall as a person, padded as one column, standing on three padded tripod legs. Keith and Isabelle dragged two onto the training deck, and Isabelle grinned to herself. _They’re like the ones Mom bought for us that one time. Good, these are good,_ she thought.

Isabelle took up a bladed fighting stance in front of her pad, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She glanced at Keith, smirking slightly, before stepping in and firing a quick succession of punches and hand strikes into the pad, stepping back and to the side, and giving a roundhouse kick to one of the legs, planting her foot to pivot on it, and aiming a back kick at the center of the pad with her other leg. Isabelle smirked fiercely at the end of the combination, nodding once to herself. _We can work with this,_ she thought. _We can work really well with this._

“Alright Keith, your turn,” Isabelle said with a short, soft laugh. “Show me what you think you’ve got.”

“I mean, it’s not gonna be _that_ ,” Keith replied. Isabelle shook her head.

“I don’t expect it to be. That was…something like a test flight. I had to make sure these could hold up,” she explained. “Let me see you throw a punch?”

Keith nodded, humming, before standing in front of the pad, bringing his fists up to his face, and starting to punch into the pad. Isabelle tilted her head slightly, watching him. _Not bad_ … _He’s using a lot of shoulder, and he’s leaning forward. Needs more hip rotation behind the punch, but we can work on it. Gotta fix his hand too, he’ll hurt himself using all his knuckles like that,_ she noted. Keith paused for a second, watching Isabelle watch him, and quirked an eyebrow. Isabelle waved for him to stop.

“Not bad,” she told him honestly. “A few things I’d like to fix though, that will give you more power behind a strike, and help keep you safe.” Isabelle took up a stance next to Keith. “I want you to use these two knuckles—” Isabelle made a fist with one hand, tapping the first two knuckles of it with her other hand. “You’ll hurt yourself using all four like you were doing.”

“Got it,” Keith said absently, nodding. Isabelle gave a small smile.

“You lean forward when you punch, and use a lot of shoulder. Most people do that to get more power, but it will throw you off balance,” she continued. Keith furrowed his eyebrows, looking dubiously at her. “Here, try again like you were.” Keith nodded slowly, resuming throwing slow punches into the pad. “Is it okay if I move you?” Isabelle asked.

“Yeah,” Keith said.

“Good!” Isabelle chirped, and moved around to the opposite side of the pad, pulling it back a few inches as Keith threw his punch. Keith leaned into the strike, stumbling forward, off-balanced. “See what I mean?” Keith chuckled dryly, standing up straight.

“What do I do instead?” he asked.

“I’m going to show you!” Isabelle exclaimed. She moved to stand next to Keith, taking up her stance, and punching hard into the pad. “See how my shoulders don’t move? All that power comes from my center. I rotate my hips instead.” She threw a punch, forcing herself not to rotate her hips. “Now watch what happens when I just move my hips into the strike,” she said, rotating the hip on the same side as the arm that had punched, and her fist pressed more firmly into the pad, moving it slightly. “Now combine it with your strike…” Isabelle punched with the opposite arm, hips rotating as she hit. The sound of her fist hitting the pad was a sharp thump, and the pad shuffled back slightly. “Try it!” she encouraged Keith.

Keith nodded, mimicking Isabelle’s stance. She moved back, allowing him to take her place in front of the pad. He punched slowly at first, clearly getting a feel for how his body should move, and taking care to strike with the first two knuckles of his fists. As he picked up the pace, Isabelle moved behind him, placing her palms on the back of his shoulders as a reminder to not twist them.

“Good! You’re doing good!” she encouraged. “Now, I want you to shift your stance. Blade yourself, off-line—” Isabelle was cut off as Keith shifted into a fighting stance that mirrored hers earlier. “Just like that, yeah.”

The new stance threw Keith’s rhythm off, slightly. He had to adjust how he moved his body in the new position, how his hips were meant to rotate. Keith dropped his hands suddenly, leaning his forehead against the pad and letting out a sound of frustration. Isabelle reached a hand out to reassure him, but paused when she heard him muttering to himself.

“Patience yields focus,” he said softly. “You got this. Patience. Yields. Focus.”

“That sounds like a Shiro-ism,” Isabelle commented. Keith chuckled.

“It is……He said it to me a few years ago and…Well, it’s helped me a lot,” he answered. Isabelle nodded.

“Good. I’m glad,” she said. “Keep doing it, then.”

After an hour or so, both Keith and Isabelle had worked up a sweat, and Isabelle had taken off her shirt, leaving her in just her sports bra, and twisted her ponytail into a bun to keep the hair off her neck and back. Between long, heavy breaths, the two agreed to call it a night, dragged the punching bags back into the locker room, and Isabelle half-dragged Keith to the kitchen, insisting he have something to drink before he went back to bed.

“So,” Isabelle said as she finished her juice pouch—the ones Coran had given them after training a few days earlier, that tasted almost like Gatorade. “We worked on punching and kicking technique, blocks, and basic fighting combos. Do you have any questions?” Keith shook his head, his response muffled by the fact that he was trying to drink at the same time. Isabelle rolled her eyes slightly.

“I’m good,” he said when he came up for air. “For now, anyway.”

“Good.” Isabelle nodded. “If you come up with any, feel free to ask. And while I hope we don’t make a habit of doing this at fucking _midnight_ —” she cut off as Keith scoffed a short laugh. “We should train more, and I’d be glad to teach you guys.”

“Thanks, Isabelle,” Keith said, shuffling awkwardly on his feet. “I, uh…I needed this.”

“I gotchu,” Isabelle replied.

* * *

“I can’t tell if he looks healthy or not,” Hunk commented.

He, Pidge, Shiro, Keith, Allura, and Isabelle gathered in the infirmary, looking anxiously at the healing pod Lance was still in. Isabelle shifted her weight between her feet, staring at Lance. He looked like he was sleeping, but there was something pale and gaunt about his face. Despite the worried murmuring of the others, Lance was still and silent in a way he never was when he was awake. Isabelle scrunched her face, biting at the inside of her cheek.

“I think he’s breathing weird,” Pidge said, pressing her face close to the glass.

“Aw, come on!” Keith reached for the glass to open the pod.

“Not yet!” Allura scolded, smacking his hand away. “A few more ticks.”

“How much better do you think he’s going to get in a few more ticks?” Keith asked.

“And what exactly is a tick?” Pidge asked.

“You know, a time slice,” Allura replied. Isabelle knit her eyebrows.

“Like a second?” Shiro asked.

“What is a second?” Allura responded, drawing out the strange word as if testing it in her mouth, and raising an eyebrow.

“Like this.” Pidge pulled out her tablet—a small, phone-sized device with an orange tinted display screen Coran had given each of them—and set the timer on it to count seconds. It beeped for a few seconds and Allura looked curiously at it.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think ticks are bigger. Coran, do you have a ticker?”

“Right here, princess,” Coran replied from a podium control panel. He turned to face the group, a blue tablet device in his hand. It beeped, ticking off-time with Pidge’s clock. Pidge and Hunk stepped forward to compare.

“I think ticks are a little slower,” Hunk commented. Isabelle tilted her head, approaching them, along with Allura.

“I can’t tell. We have to start them at the same time,” Pidge added.

“Okay,” Coran agreed. “Ready…Go!” The two clocks ticked simultaneously the first time. After that, Pidge’s second counter timed seconds, and Coran’s ticker beeped in between the seconds.

“Yes, I think we’re winning!” Hunk said.

“Winning what? The intergalactic time-measuring competition?” Keith asked.

“Yes!” Hunk exclaimed, making a face at Keith.

Isabelle rolled her eyes and shushed them both so she could listen. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shiro peering over people’s shoulders, hovering curiously around the edges of the group. Isabelle tilted her head slightly, listening intently. _One, two, three, four, five seconds…One, two…a half? Hang on, hang on…_

“I think…” Isabelle said slowly. “I think a tick is about one and a half seconds.”

“Yeah?” Pidge turned her head to look up at Isabelle.

“Yeah, listen.” Isabelle held up a hand to signal silence. In the space between one second and the next, Coran’s ticker beeped. Isabelle watched Pidge’s eyes light up, and the wheels start turning in her head. Coran listened for another moment before he too gave a small sound of agreement.

“You guys having a clock party?” a voice asked from behind them. Isabelle startled slightly and whirled around to see Lance, still half-asleep and wearing the white bodysuit he had been changed into before they had put him into the healing pod.

“Aw, Lance, you just ruined it!” Hunk complained, turning around to face Lance. His eyes widened with realization in a split second. “Hey! Lance!” he exclaimed, wrapping Lance in an all-consuming hug and lifting him up for a second before setting Lance back down on wobbly legs.

“What happened?” Lance asked, leaning heavily on Hunk for support.

“We can tell you all about it while you get something to eat,” Allura told him, laying a hand gently on his back. “Are you able to walk?”

“Talking? Eating? Are you asking me out on a date?” Lance asked, grinning.

“Yep! He’s fine,” Isabelle commented, rolling her eyes.

“Uh-huh, he’s okay,” Pidge added.

“Classic Lance,” Shiro said fondly, crossing his arms over his chest. Isabelle huffed a short laugh, sharing a look with Shiro as the group left the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Shiro and Isabelle would be Sendak’s prisoners right now if not for Pidge,” Allura said, finishing her retelling of everything that had happened since the explosion that knocked Lance unconscious.

The group gathered in a loose semi-circle around Lance’s chair, where he sat eating a large bowl of food goo. Shiro stood, leaning against one side of Lance’s chair. Allura and Coran stood behind Lance on the other side, and Hunk stood near them. On Hunk’s other side, Isabelle sat on the table, her legs dangling over the edge of a nearby chair. Across from her, Pidge knelt on the floor, resting her arms on the table, and Keith also sat on the table near her. They had all since changed out of their armor and back into the clothes they had worn on Earth; Allura remained wearing her white and pink flight suit.

“Well,” Pidge added. “You wouldn’t have survived the explosion if Hunk and Coran hadn’t gotten a new crystal.”

“Wow…Thanks everybody. Sounds like the mice did more than you, though,” Lance said with a look towards Keith. Isabelle rolled her eyes and leaned forward to nudge Lance’s shoulder.

“I punched Sendak!” Keith exclaimed.

“Technically, he side-kicked him halfway across the room,” Isabelle added.

“I—yes! Thank you, Isabelle!” Keith responded, gesturing towards her.

“Yeah, apparently after I emerged from a coma and shot his arm off,” Lance said with an edge of disbelieving sarcasm in his voice. Isabelle scrunched her face and leveled him with a look.

“We had a bonding moment! I cradled you in my arms!” Keith raised his hands in a vaguely cradling gesture as he spoke.

“Nope! Don’t remember, didn’t happen,” Lance replied, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. “So, what happened to Sendak?”

“He’s frozen in a cryo-pod. We’re keeping him here in the castle,” Allura explained.

Isabelle fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. _Still not sure when that happened. When did that decision get made? Surely there have to be other ways of keeping him prisoner here, right? Why do we have to have him frozen, or unconscious, or in whatever sleep-stasis state Coran and Allura were in?_ she wondered.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Lance asked.

“He’s too dangerous to be set free,” Allura replied. Isabelle curled her lip back.

“No one said anything about setting him free. But surely there are less…drastic…ways of keeping him prisoner?” Isabelle added, holding Allura’s gaze even as she felt her voice waver. She glanced at Shiro when she felt her eyes on him, giving him a meaningful look.

“But we might be able to get information about Zarkon from him!” Allura exclaimed.

“Can’t we do that while he’s awake and conscious?” Isabelle shot back. “That’s usually how we interrogate people on Earth, and—"

“So, anyway,” Lance interrupted before Isabelle could finish or Allura could respond. “What’s the plan now?”

“We have to get back to the Balmera and save Shay and her people!” Hunk exclaimed.

“Wow! You are _really_ hung up on this lady,” Lance teased.

“No, it’s not like that,” Hunk replied, his face falling. “Look, guys. When you see how Zarkon has treated these people and destroyed their home—they’ve been under his thumb for so long they don’t know what it is to be free. It’s up to us to set this right! _This_ is what being a paladin of Voltron is all about! It’s time to man up!”

“Then let’s get moving,” Shiro said in reply. “Time to go defend the universe.”

Isabelle hummed in response, hopping off her perch on the table. She patted Hunk on the shoulder as she passed him, nodding and giving an encouraging smile. He smiled uncertainly back, and the group slowly moved to leave the dining room.

“Wait, I have something to say first,” Pidge said, standing up and squaring her shoulders. Isabelle knit her eyebrows and glanced at Pidge. There was a determined, if nervous, look on her face, and she gave a short, meaningful nod at Isabelle. Isabelle’s eyes widened in realization, and she nodded, smiling proudly at Pidge.

“I need to come clean,” Pidge continued. Everyone paused, turning to look at Pidge. “And…I’m afraid this may change the way you all think about me. Just so there are no secrets between us anymore, I can’t _man up…_ I’m a girl. I mean, I can _man up_ because that’s just a figure of speech. I don’t have to actually be a man to man up, I just have to be tough. You know, like Isabelle’s a woman and she’s tough enough to wipe the training deck with all of us, and I seriously admire that. But what I’m saying is—”

“But—Wha? Wait what? You’re a girl? How?” Lance sputtered, gesturing wildly. Pidge startled at his sudden outburst.

“I’ve known for some time, but I’m glad you’ve shared it with everyone,” Allura said calmly.

“Yeah, I figured.” Hunk shrugged slightly.

“Oh yeah, me too,” Keith added, smiling.

“Wait…We were supposed to think you were a boy?” Coran asked teasingly. Isabelle scoffed a laugh, rolling her eyes in his direction.

“Pidge, owning who you are is going to make you a better paladin,” Shiro said. Pidge sighed deeply, relieved. She then turned her gaze to Isabelle.

“Anything to add to the pep talk, Captain?” she asked with a short chuckle. Isabelle smirked, nudging Pidge with her elbow.

“I’m proud of you,” she said, wrapping her arm around Pidge in a one-armed side hug. “I’m also flattered that I’m your go-to example of tough and badass women.”

“Thanks, it’s good to get that off my chest,” Pidge said, grinning. “Now! Let’s launch this castle-ship!” Pidge cheered excitedly, taking off out of the dining room.

“Wait what?” Lance asked, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. “Pidge is a girl and the castle is a ship?! How long have I been out?”

“It’s only been a day or so,” Isabelle told him, patting his shoulder. Lance grumbled at her. “And, by the way, girls don’t have to dress ‘girly.’” Isabelle paused, putting air quotes around the word. “Or have long hair to be girls…You know, just so you know.”

“Alright, yeah, I guess you’re right,” Lance mumbled as they left the dining room, following Pidge back to the control room of the castle.

Allura took to the control panel once the group entered the control room, blue holographic maps lighting up in front of her. From panels on either side of her, in the floor, two pillars rose to about hip-height, with glowing blue crystals, and Allura rested her hands on them. _They must be the controls for flying the castle,_ Isabelle thought. Panels on the floor opened with a soft mechanical hiss and large chairs rose slowly from where they must have been stored under the panels. Each one had glowing crystals inlaid in the back and sides, one chair for each paladin with color-coordinated crystals, and they were placed in a semi-circle around Allura’s control panel. Isabelle stood behind Shiro’s chair, just in front of the control panel, watching Allura and Coran read and adjust the glowing blue holographic maps and controls.

“Activate interlock,” Allura said, turning her head towards where Coran stood.

“Dynotherms connected,” Coran replied from where he stood farther in front of the group, in front of what Isabelle guessed was a secondary control panel with holographic maps and statistics of the castle.

“Mega-thrusters are go,” Allura continued.

“We are ready to depart Planet Arus on your mark, Princess,” Coran said. Suddenly the glass in the windows of the control room flashed, changing from opaque blue to transparent, showing the clear blue sky of Arus.

“Firing main engines for launch,” Allura stated. As she finished, the castle rumbled to life, the floor beneath Isabelle’s feet shaking. She swore under her breath and nearly stumbled, but Shiro reached out to catch her forearm. Instinctively, Isabelle returned the grip, clutching Shiro’s arm as he pulled her sideways into his chair, scooting over to make room for her to sit. Isabelle sat up, smiling gratefully.

The castle continued to shake for a few moments until it was free of the island it had been grounded on, before launching high into the sky and slowing to the slow, steady rumble Isabelle was more familiar with on spacecrafts. In a matter of minutes, the castle had left Arus’ atmosphere and slowly arched across the sky, vaguely following the curve of its surface as they slowly exited the planet’s gravitational orbit. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, noting how everyone remained standing or in their seats as opposed to beginning to float in a zero-gravity environment.

“Coran?” Isabelle called. Coran hummed curiously in reply, turning to look at her. “There’s artificial gravity in here, isn’t there?”

“Quite right! Systems for artificial gravity are in place throughout the castle. It was built and designed with extensive space travel in mind,” Coran explained. Isabelle nodded slowly.

After a few minutes, the group began to slowly get up from their chairs and begin wandering the bridge. Isabelle wobbled for a second, unused to the artificial gravity. It passed quickly enough, and soon the paladins were gathered loosely on the stairs while Allura piloted the castle. Pidge, Lance, and Isabelle sat on the stairs themselves, Shiro stood in front of them on the lower level, Keith stood on the bottom step and leaned against the short wall that led to the floor of the upper level. Hunk stood on the upper level of the short staircase, pacing nervously.

“So, when we get there, what do you think? Do we just roll up and start blasting? Or do we land and have some kind of like, public address system, like…” he paused, drawing himself up to his full height, putting his hands on his hips, and putting on a serious face. “‘Attention Galras, this is Voltron. Turn yourselves in.’ No. Blasting, right?”

“Hunk, calm down,” Keith replied, gesturing peacefully. “And yes, blasting.” He gave a short finger gun in Hunk’s direction. Isabelle caught Hunk’s eyes and smiled softly, taking a deep breath, and gesturing in and out with her hands. _Breathe, Hunk. We’ll figure it out,_ she thought.

“It’s our first big rescue mission, he’s excited,” Shiro added.

“Excited to see his new girlfriend,” Pidge teased in a sing-song voice, leaning backwards on the steps to look upside-down at Hunk. Hunk gasped.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” he exclaimed. “She’s just a rock that I met, that I admire very much!”

An alarm blared suddenly. Isabelle startled, rising quickly to her feet. The others were similarly on edge, looking towards the blaring red symbol on Coran’s holographic map.

“What is it?” Isabelle asked.

“Are we being attacked?” Shiro added.

“No!” Coran assured them. “It seems to be a distress beacon.”

“It’s coming from a nearby moon,” Allura elaborated. “Apparently, a ship has lost power.”

“I wonder who it is,” Pidge said, resting her chin in her hand.

“Whoever it is will have to wait,” Hunk stated firmly. “Shay has first priority; we can check back on them when we’re done.”

“The Paladin Code states that we must help all those in need,” Allura argued.

“Wow, this is so cool!” Lance exclaimed. “It’s like we’re space cops on space patrol. Coran, do we have a siren we can turn on?”

“Uh, no, but we could record you making a siren noise, and broadcast that to them,” Coran suggested.

“No,” Isabelle whispered, watching the grin on Lance’s face grow wider. “Coran why would you give him the idea.”

“Perfect!” Lance took a deep breath and loudly began calling out an imitation of a police siren. Shiro quickly turned around and clamped a hand over Lance’s mouth.

“Nope,” he said. “Not doing that.” Isabelle smirked wryly, scoffing s short laugh.

Coran and Allura adjusted the castle’s course for the nearby moon the distress beacon originated from. The paladins sat back down to brace for landing, and Isabelle could feel Hunk’s mounting uneasiness. _It’ll be okay,_ she promised him internally, sending an encouraging smile at him over her shoulder from where she sat next to Shiro. _This will be quick, and we’ll be on our way to the Balmera in no time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Attention, damaged craft, this is Princess Allura. We are coming to assist you,” Allura announced over the castle’s broadcast speakers as they landed near the damaged spaceship.

“Stay aboard and try to get as many of our systems clear of that Galra crystal energy as you can,” Allura said to Coran as the ship’s control stands retracted into their podium. “We’ll see who hailed us.”

“Yes, princess,” Coran replied.

Everyone, save Coran, boarded a separate pod, similar to the escape pods they had sent the rescued prisoners off with, that took them from the castle to the ground on the moon. Isabelle tied her hair in a low ponytail, tightening it against her head and tucking the tail into the back of her armor before putting her helmet on. Two aliens greeted the group on the surface. One had purple skin, light silvery hair under a red hat, and wore a cropped jacket and cargo pants; his torso and arms were wrapped in bandages. The other alien had bright yellow skin and hair the same color, pulled back from her face and decorated with blue clasps. She wore a blue crop top and matching pants.

“You don’t know how glad we are to see some friendly faces,” the purple alien said, standing from his seat as they got off the pod. He crossed his arms over his chest, holding a large wrench in one hand. “Most folks don’t want to get tangled up with anyone who’s on the run from the Galra.”

“So, you guys are fighting the Galra?” Keith asked.

“Well, I don’t think Zarkon is exactly quaking in his boots at the three of us, but we do what we can,” the purple alien said seriously. Isabelle gave a short nod. _Wait…three?_ She wondered, scanning the area. She caught sight of a small robot nearby, beeping periodically, and smirked. _Gotcha. We love droids in this house._ “I’m Rolo. This is Nyma, and our cyber-unit, Beezer.”

“Hi,” Nyma said, her purple eyes scanning the group and landing squarely on Lance. Isabelle glanced sideways to see Lance smiling absently, his face bright pink. He shook himself after a moment and approached Nyma. _Oh boy, here we go,_ Isabelle thought.

“Hi! Name’s Lance,” he said, taking Nyma’s hand with a charming smile.

“Cool robot!” Pidge exclaimed, darting over to Beezer and kneeling next to the robot to get a good look. Isabelle and Shiro walked over to Rolo, shaking hands with him.

“Was your ship damaged in a fight?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah. We’ve really been through it with the Galra. Parts are…hard to come by. Luckily, we were able to limp to this moon about a week ago,” Rolo explained. Isabelle nodded, looking up at their ship. She frowned slightly. It looked a little worse for wear; there were obvious scratches and scorch marks from laser blasts, and Isabelle could only wonder what had been damaged internally to cause them to break down on the moon. “If you didn’t pick up our distress signal, I—”

“We’re happy to help,” Allura interrupted. “I am Princess Allura of Altea, and from now on, you won’t be alone fighting the Galra. You’ll have the Paladins of Voltron by your side.”

Allura stepped to the side, gesturing grandly at Shiro, Isabelle, Hunk, and Keith where they stood together. Behind Rolo, Lance was chatting excitedly with Nyma, and Pidge was still fascinated with Beezer. Allura took a moment to introduce each of them by name.

“Okay,” Rolo said, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. Isabelle pressed her lips together, fighting back a snicker.

“I don’t think he’s heard of us,” Shiro said.

“It has been ten thousand years,” Keith added dryly. Isabelle glanced sideways at Allura, who looked irritated and slightly put-out. _Judging by that introduction, she expected them to have heard of Voltron…Well, that’s a rude awakening. Not everyone has been hosting a castle as a landmark on their planet for ten thousand years…Can’t expect them all to have heard of Voltron,_ she thought.

“Voltron? Five robot lions that combine into this big robot…guy?” Lance explained, gesturing widely with his arms. Nyma paused, looking back at Rolo.

“Sounds impressive,” Rolo commented. “I’d love to see it. Or, him. Them?”

“Why don’t we get to work on your ship?” Hunk asked quickly. “I’m sure we all have places to be.”

“Sure,” Rolo agreed. He led the group to the ship, and opened a panel to see the mechanics inside. “Pretty much our whole flaxum assembly is shot. I don’t know what kind of extra parts you carry in this rig of yours. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“I’m sure we can get you up and running,” Allura assured him. “Give Hunk a list of what you need. Coran can show you where to find it.”

As Allura spoke, Lance posed, flexing his muscles and smirking in Nyma’s direction. She stood behind him, giggling. Shiro and Isabelle stood together with them, and Isabelle watched Shiro get increasingly annoyed with Lance. Shiro glanced at Isabelle and the two shared a long-suffering look before Shiro leaned forward and shoved at Lance’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Hunk mumbled, looking uncertain.

“We’ll go with you,” Rolo offered. “Don’t want you guys to have to carry all that yourselves. Come on, guys.”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Hunk said as Rolo moved to board the castle, blocking his path. “You can wait out here.”

“Hunk, don’t be rude!” Allura scolded. Isabelle pursed her lips. _It’s not rude…the last time we let strangers on the castle, we got attacked by the Galra,_ Isabelle thought.

“Yeah, mind your manners! There are ladies present,” Lance added, smiling and shooting finger guns towards Nyma. Shiro sighed deeply and Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“I don’t think you’ve ever minded your manners around the rest of us _ladies_ before, but okay,” she commented. Lance dropped his arms and glared at her, while Nyma laughed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but does anyone remember the last time we let our defenses down?” Hunk asked sarcastically. “Someone kinda set off a bomb! Remember Lance? You were almost killed.”

“Oh yeah,” Lance muttered.

“Hunk’s got a point. Last time we let strangers—no offence—” Isabelle gave a sheepish smile at Rolo and Nyma. Rolo shook his head, waving the apology off. “Last time we let strangers on board, we were attacked by the Galra.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to be cautious,” Shiro added.

“Hey, I don’t take it personal. That’s how it is out here. You gotta look out for your own,” Rolo said, taking a long receipt of paper from Beezer as the robot printed it. He handed the receipt to Hunk. “You’re doing a good job, big man.” 

“Yeah, thanks,” Hunk replied, looking at the list.

Hunk soon went to work, Lance disappeared with Nyma, and Pidge alternated between helping Hunk and Coran and interacting with Beezer. Rolo, Shiro, Isabelle, Allura, and Keith sat around the Rolo’s campfire, talking. Isabelle took a seat on top of one of the boxes the group has stacked around the campfire. Rolo sat on another box across the fire, and Keith, Allura, and Shiro stood loosely in a circle.

“My planet was destroyed by the Galra, and I was taken captive,” Rolo explained. “I escaped, but not before I lost something.” He rolled up his pant leg to reveal a cybernetic leg, similar to Shiro’s arm, knocking on the shin.

“I know exactly how that feels,” Shiro said, flexing his metal hand.

“Well, I hope there are some parts in here that’ll fit!” Hunk exclaimed, hauling a large metal box over to them from the castle. “You know, to get your ship moving!” he called, louder.

“Great! Thanks!” Rolo waved from his seat.

“Do you want some help with that?” Isabelle asked, looking between Hunk and the box, concerned.

“Nah, I got it,” Hunk replied. Isabelle fixed him with a look, but turned her attention back to the campfire conversation, pulling her helmet off and shaking out her hair.

“So, what can you tell us about Zarkon’s forces? Where are they concentrated?” Allura asked. Pidge whooped suddenly, cheering as she rode Beezer around the campsite. Isabelle gave a short laugh.

“Well, his command ship sits right in the center of the Empire,” Rolo said. “He mostly calls the shots from there, and his minions do the work, depending on who’s closest. This is the territory of a real nasty bugger named Sendak.”

“Oh, we’ve met,” Keith said. Isabelle snorted derisively, sharing a look with Keith. Rolo fixed her with a look and raised an eyebrow. Isabelle rolled her eyes slightly, pulling down the collar of her flightsuit and tilting her head back and then to either side to reveal the large bruise on her neck from their fight with Sendak. Rolo let out a low whistle.

“That looks like it sucked,” he said.

“It did,” Isabelle agreed. “Zero out of ten, would not recommend getting put in a chokehold by Sendak.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to go head to head with him either, especially not with that nasty, quintessence-fueled prosthetic arm,” Rolo added.

“This wasn’t the prosthetic arm,” Isabelle corrected, shaking her head.

“I think that’s worse,” Rolo said with a short laugh. Isabelle smirked wryly.

“How far away are we from the center of the Empire?” Shiro asked.

“We’re way out on the fringes,” Rolo said, looking away, up at the magenta color of the night sky on the moon. Isabelle nodded slowly. _And this is just out on the fringes on one side…How far do the Galra Empire’s borders expand in any direction? How far away is the opposite border from Earth?_ Isabelle wondered, and a shiver ran down the back of her neck. 

“Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but I think you guys are kinda keeping Rolo from working,” Hunk said, walking over with his helmet under his arm. “It’s just that we’re kind of in a hurry. A hero named Shay saved my life, and I swore I would return to do the same for her and her people. You understand.”

“Sure,” Rolo replied, standing up and patting Hunk on the shoulder as he walked passed him. “Sorry.” Hunk turned and glared slightly over his shoulder at Rolo’s back. Isabelle got up, walking over to Hunk and laying a hand on his shoulder.

“If you need any help, let me know,” she whispered to him. “I know I’m not an engineer but…”

“Thanks, Isabelle,” Hunk replied softly. Shiro approached the two, standing in front of Hunk.

“Hunk, we’re going to get going soon, but I think Rolo might have some information that could be helpful to us,” he whispered conspiratorially, glancing at Isabelle. She nodded.

“Not for nothing, but I don’t trust this guy as far as I could throw him,” Hunk replied. “We ought to leave him with the parts and just say _Adi_ _ó_ _s amigo_.”

“We don’t have to trust him,” Isabelle murmured. Hunk furrowed his eyebrows at her. “We just need to get his ship up and running, so he can get out of here. Information would be immensely helpful…Remember, we just got thrown into a _ten-thousand-year_ conflict and we don’t know _anything_ concrete about what’s going on.” Shiro hummed his agreement, and Hunk nodded reluctantly after a moment.

“Hey bud!” Rolo called from where he had been looking through the box of parts. “Sorry, but do you think you could hunt down a length of thermal pipe about yay-long?” He held his hands about a foot and a half apart, looking sheepishly at Hunk. Hunk sighed and groaned slightly.

“On the way,” he replied, walking back towards the castle. Shiro smiled slightly, looking at Isabelle and nodding towards Rolo. Isabelle nodded and followed Shiro over to him.

“So, are there more freedom fighters?” he asked. “Any kind of organized resistance to the Galra?”

“Only folks who haven’t been colonized yet, or the lucky few like us who managed to escape somehow,” Rolo answered.

“Well, we’re gonna change all that,” Keith said emphatically as he and Allura walked over. Isabelle hummed uncertainly.

“We’re sure as hell going to try…I’d like to know if we could maybe organize groups of people like us and coordinate the fight a little,” Isabelle added.

“That’s good to hear, but I’ve got to warn you, it’s pretty bad out there,” Rolo said. “You don’t know what you’re up against.”

“Neither do they,” Isabelle said determinedly.

“Kinda bold, but I’ll give you that one. Anyone who goes toe-to-toe with Sendak and comes out the other side still wanting to fight has earned the right to be a little bold, at least in my book,” Rolo replied, turning away to continue rummaging through the parts Hunk had brought out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle startled suddenly, pausing mid-sentence in a conversation with Shiro, as she heard a ship’s engine rev loudly. She whirled her head to look, huffing at a stray lock of hair as it fell in her face, and saw the Blue Lion taking off from the castle. _What the hell is Lance doing? When did he leave?_ Isabelle wondered. _And where’s Nyma? With Lance? I…I don’t like the sound of that._

“Oh, Lance,” Hunk groaned, looking up from where he and Rolo had been working. Isabelle followed his gaze to see the Blue Lion rocket into the sky in a blast of blue.

“Ah, let them have their fun,” Rolo said, laying a hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “Thanks to you, this thing is just about ready, so we’re gonna be on our way soon. Too many lightyears on that guy, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Hunk mumbled softly, almost inaudibly. Isabelle looked at him from where she sat near the fire, tilting her head. Hunk pulled a face, shaking his head slightly before going back to work.

“What’s up, Isabelle?” Shiro asked after a moment. Isabelle scrunched her face.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Something feels…off. Hunk has been suspicious since we landed here, and I _know_ it’s not _just_ because he wants to get to the Balmera and Shay as fast as he can.”

“You think these two are shady?” Shiro asked.

“I’m not sure. Hunk seems to think so. And I don’t necessarily _trust_ them, but….” Isabelle trailed off, sighing deeply. “I don’t like the idea of Lance and Nyma taking a ride in the Blue Lion.”

“Fair enough,” Shiro agreed. “If they’re not back soon, I’ll go get them, and then we’ll be on our way.”

“I think this thing is just about ready for a test flight!” Rolo exclaimed suddenly, closing the hatch of the ship he had been working on and running around to the entrance. “Beezer, come co-pilot for me. Be back in a tick!”

“Beezer can co-pilot?” Isabelle wondered aloud, getting up and wandering to where the others stood, holding her helmet under her arm and looking curiously at the ship where Rolo had disappeared inside. Hunk pulled his goggles up, resting them on his forehead.

“Apparently,” Keith said dryly.

Isabelle made a face. The ground shook slightly as Rolo’s ship roared to life, taking off with a speed Isabelle would not have guessed it had. She reached out an arm to steady Pidge as she stumbled into her, straightening up. She narrowed her eyes, watching the ship disappear. _That’s…That’s the same way Lance went._ Isabelle realized. _The same way he **and Nyma** went. Oh no…Oh no, no no. Lance is in trouble._

“Yeah, no,” Isabelle said. “I don’t like the look of this.”

“Yeah me neither,” Hunk agreed.

“What’s your gut say, Hunk?” Shiro asked. Hunk rolled his eyes.

“That we should have left him with the parts when we had the chance,” he replied. Isabelle scoffed. “Something ain’t right here.”

“Alright, what do we do about it?” Isabelle asked.

“Do you think we could track them from the castle if we went inside?” Pidge asked.

“Hold on! We don’t even know something is wrong!” Allura exclaimed. She drew herself up to her full height, placed her hands on her hips, and fixed them all with a reproachful look. “It is incredibly rude to be so suspicious of people you’ve only just met! How can you think they have bad intentions? They’re just trying to fight the Galra, just like we are! We don’t even know anything’s wrong! Perhaps they’ve just broken down again on the far side of the moon.”

“Hello? Uh…Hello?” Lance’s voice sounded suddenly over the comms in Isabelle’s helmet. She jumped slightly, scrambling to put it on.

“Helmets on, guys! Lance is calling!” She called to the others, who quickly searched the camp for their helmets.

“Uh yeah! Thank you!” Lance exclaimed. “Now, uh, a little help please?”

“Lance! Are you alright? What’s going on?” Shiro asked urgently.

“Well, I’m kind of…chained to a, a tree,” Lance explained. _Lance what the fuck?_ Isabelle wondered.

“I knew it!” Hunk exclaimed.

“And I think Nyma and Rolo just stole the Blue Lion,” Lance added.

“Lance!” Isabelle groaned, cursing internally.

“I knew it!” Hunk reiterated, clenching his fists.

“Where are they?” Shiro demanded.

“Uh, space?” Lance replied. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“Space is a big place, Lance. Can you be more specific?” she asked.

“Ugh! I never trusted those guys, right from the beginning!” Hunk exclaimed.

“We’re on our way. Hang tight, Lance,” Isabelle said. She locked eyes with Shiro, and they nodded to each other sharply as the group rushed into the castle.

“Hang tight? What else am I going to do?” Lance yelled, incredulous. Isabelle snickered to herself, smirking at Keith when she caught him rolling his eyes.

“I never trusted them!” Hunk called over the comms as Isabelle rushed into the hangar where her fighter jet was. “At first it was just a feeling in my gut…But then, when I was replacing the thermal pipes, that pipe was cracked, but none of the hardware around it was damaged.”

“Okay, we get it!” Keith interrupted.

“If the thermal pipe is cracked then, obviously, hello, the entire assembly should be totally roasted,” Hunk continued. Isabelle sighed, placing her hand on the jet’s handprint scanner and barely letting the dashboard lights come on before she took off out of the hangar.

“Okay! We get it!” Keith exclaimed.

“We should have had to replace the entire undercarriage of that reactor. So right then I was like, _positive._ Foul play,” Hunk said.

“Okay, we get it!” Pidge, Shiro, Isabelle, and Keith all said.

“Hunk! Can you do me a favor?” Isabelle asked. Hunk murmured his agreement. “Next time, _say that_ to us, as it happens. Okay? We’ll catch scams like this a lot sooner if we communicate and act rather than sitting around feeling suspicious.”

“Okay, yeah, I gotcha, Captain,” Hunk replied. Isabelle sighed softly. “Isabelle! I mean, I gotcha, Isabelle. Sorry, old habits and all that.” Isabelle huffed a short laugh.

The group met outside, in the sky above the castle, and flew together in formation once they managed to track down Rolo’s ship. A red light near the radio transmission button on Isabelle’s dashboard beeped at her. Furrowing her eyebrows, she made to open it, but it closed as soon as she did. In the split second it was open, Isabelle was able to see it coming from Rolo’s ship. _But why Rolo’s ship?_ She wondered. _This thing doesn’t pick up all radio chatter, or it shouldn’t…Unless…_

“Hey guys?” Isabelled asked, opening communication with the lions. “I think I just picked up some radio chatter from Rolo. Which is weird because this ship doesn’t usually detect radio transmissions that I’m not sending, or it shouldn’t. Not unless they’re Galra. He might have just sold us out to whatever Galra Commander is closest.”

“Your ship can pick up Galra radio chatter?” Keith asked. Isabelle frowned.

“I think so? I’m not sure,” Isabelle admitted.

“In any case, that’s good to know,” Shiro said. “Now we have a head’s up in case any Galra fighters show up.”

They soon caught up with Rolo’s ship. As they approached, he turned sharply towards an oncoming asteroid belt. Isabelle groaned, cursing internally. _He’s gonna fly us into the asteroid belt_ , Isabelle thought _. He’s gonna fly us into the fucking asteroid belt because we don’t know how to navigate it…But I’d bet money he does._

“We’re never going to get through this asteroid field!” Pidge exclaimed as the group halted at the outer edge of the belt.

“Maybe I could just bust through!” Hunk exclaimed, flying head-on into a nearby asteroid. The asteroid jostled and slowly bounced into another asteroid next to it. These asteroids, however, bounced around to collide with others, sending multiple asteroids into motion. “Nope! That was wrong! That was a bad idea!”

“Keith!” Shiro called. “Your lion is the fastest and most agile. You’re the only one who could possibly fly through this. We need you buddy. Get in there and flush him out.”

“You got it!” Keith replied. “See you on the other side.”

Keith flew into the asteroid belt while Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge took off to skirt the edges around to the other side. Isabelle hummed thoughtfully, studying the map on her screen for a moment. _Rolo doesn’t know I fly a Galra jet…_ she thought. _He’s expecting Galra. He might follow me. Or approach me, thinking I’ll help him fight off Keith…_

“I’ve got an idea!” Isabelle called suddenly.

“What’s up?” Shiro asked.

“I might be able to help Keith, if I can get ahead of Rolo,” Isabelle said. “He doesn’t know I fly a Galra fighter jet, and I still think he just contacted the Galra. He’s expecting them. If I can get him to see me and follow me, I can help Keith flush him out on the other side.”

“It sounds like a good plan,” Keith added.

“Shiro?” Isabelle asked.

“Go for it,” he said.

Isabelle grinned, leaning into the stick to put full power into the thrusters. On the outskirts of the asteroid belt, without having to dodge the asteroids, she quickly gained speed. Glancing to the side, she caught sight of Rolo’s ship weaving in between asteroids, the Red Lion close behind. She pressed the radio broadcast button on her dashboard, hoping Rolo would see the incoming call.

“I didn’t think Commander Prorok would send one singular fighter jet for us, for the Blue Lion of Voltron.” Rolo’s voice sounded a moment later. “Are the rest waiting on the other side, then? Because I’ve kinda got a Lion on my tail. And I’m sure the others are out there somewhere. We might have to renegotiate our deal if I get you all five lions, huh?”

Isabelle rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Rolo scoffed and cut the communication line a moment later. She sped up again, ahead of Rolo, and tilted the nose of her jet up. Climbing above most of the asteroids, she headed for the other side of the belt. Below her, Rolo sped up, vaguely following Isabelle’s lead.

“Isabelle! You see him?” Keith asked after a moment.

“Yeah I see him! And he saw me,” she replied. “He asked about someone called Commander Prorok, and said he might have to renegotiate the terms of his deal if he delivered all five lions to him.”

“Oh, so he definitely sold us out?” Keith asked. “Fantastic.”

A few minutes later, Rolo’s ship fired on the Red Lion. Isabelle heard Keith growl in anger and frustration over comms, but her vision was obscured by the asteroids. She could not lock onto a clear target, and herself made a sound of frustration that was half-groan, half-growl. Keith returned fire on Rolo’s ship, dodging laser blasts and narrowly avoiding flying face-first into a large asteroid.

A large blade appeared suddenly in the Red Lion’s mouth, and Keith threw it at Rolo’s ship, hitting both of the blasters before the blade returned to the Red Lion. _What the hell is that?_ Isabelle wondered. _Since when is that a thing?_

Isabelle sat up straighter in her seat as Rolo and Keith both flew out of the other side of the asteroid belt. As they exited, Isabelle fired her lasers on Rolo’s ship, taking out the left side thrusters. The ship spiraled downwards towards the surface of the moon, Keith quickly flying after them. He latched onto the back of the ship with the Red Lion’s claws and reversed the power in the thrusters, slowing the ship’s fall and stopping them.

Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro, who had been waiting at the other side of the asteroid belt, flew to where Keith had stopped Rolo’s ship. Isabelle flew over as well, hovering her ship behind the lions, but within view of the front of Rolo’s ship. She engaged her autopilot protocol for a moment before giving a mock salute she knew Rolo could not see and opening another radio transmission to his ship.

“Sorry about that,” she said, grinning widely. “But also, no… I’m not really. Did you know you could reprogram stolen Galra jets?” Isabelle closed the line before he could respond.

“Yeah!” Keith cheered. “Hey Lance, Isabelle and I got your lion back.”

“Thank you, Keith,” Lance said from the other side of the line. “Now can you come and unchain me?”

“What’s that?” Keith asked slyly. “I-uh, you’re cutting out. I can’t…I can’t hear you.” Isabelle laughed loudly.

“Oh come on! I thought we bonded!” Lance exclaimed.

 _“¡Ay, pobrecito!”_ Isabelle exclaimed, cooing sarcastically. _“No te preocupes…_ Don’t worry, we’re coming to get you.”

 _“¡No me dices ay pobrecito!”_ Lance shot back. Isabelle let out a short, surprised laugh. _So, Lance speaks Spanish. Good to know,_ Isabelle thought, still giggling. “You say that like you've never done anything stupid for a cute girl! Or, uh, I dunno…a cute guy!”

“Oh, I've done plenty of dumb shit for both guys _and_ girls I thought were cute,” Isabelle replied smoothly. “But I never got conned, handcuffed to a telephone pole, and had my car stolen!”

* * *

Once Shiro had gone to the far side of the moon to help Lance, they returned to where the castle had landed. Keith had Rolo’s ship land there as well. Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer sat together on a box near their campfire. Isabelle stood in between Keith and Shiro, and the others stood nearby, all of them glaring at Rolo and Nyma.

“Since your ship _really_ doesn’t work now, you’ll have to wait here for a rescue,” Keith said.

“Thanks for sparing our lives,” Rolo replied solemnly. Isabelle gave a short, curt nod.

“Well, now that these guys are dealt with, let’s get to the Balmera and save Shay and her family,” Hunk said sharply.

“You may not believe this,” Rolo said as Hunk finished, looking up at them from where he sat. “But I hope you do stop Zarkon. It’s a lifetime of fighting the Galra that led me to where I am today.”

His words clearly stunned the rest of the group, who looked at Rolo with varying levels of surprise, confusion, and fading anger. Isabelle sucked in a sharp breath, looking down and away. Isabelle scrunched her face, opening her mouth and closing it, debating on whether she should say anything. Hunk, Lance, and Allura quickly turned and headed back for the castle. Keith and Pidge followed soon after. Shiro gave one last, long look at Rolo and Nyma before turning to leave.

“Maybe….” Isabelle said, trailing off as Rolo and Nyma both looked up at her. “Maybe this is where a lifetime of fighting the Galra has led you; I can’t begrudge you that, and none of us can change it now…But this doesn’t have to be where you stay. You can still change. Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet again, help each other out in this fight…You know, if you don’t try to sell us to Commander Prorok again.”

With that, Isabelle turned away from Rolo and Nyma, following after Shiro and heading back to the castle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning! Happy Pride! Isabelle says Bi Rights! 
> 
> I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

After leaving the moon, the group took a minute to change out of their armor before gathering once more in the bridge. Allura wore only her flight suit, and the others had changed back into their clothes from Earth. Isabelle opted to simply take off her armor, remaining in her flight suit in case they needed to change quickly again. She took her hair out of its ponytail, shaking out her curls, and gathering all her hair over her shoulder. Isabelle ran her fingers through the ends of her hair absently as the castle approached the Balmera.

The planet’s atmosphere looked green as the castle approached, even as lighter colored clouds swirled in the Balmera’s sky. Clouds of space dust nearby also appeared an almost unnatural green color, and Isabelle pulled a face. _Is it naturally like that? It feels…wrong, somehow. Almost like the planet is sick. Did the Galra do this? What have they been doing to this planet to affect it so much?_ Isabelle wondered.

“We’ll be arriving at the Balmera soon,” Allura said suddenly. Isabelle startled out of her thoughts, turning to look at Allura. “Liberating these Balmerans from Zarkon’s grasp will not be easy.”

“So, what’s the plan? We go in there and just—” Lance paused abruptly, making sweeping finger-gun gestures with his hands. “Pow! Pow! Pow! And free the prisoners?”

“What was that noise?” Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Laser guns,” Lance replied. Isabelle chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

“No Lance, I think you mean…” Hunk trailed off, miming the motions of a laser canon with his arms. “Pchow, pchow, pchow…Pchow!”

“That sounds like fireworks,” Lance commented.

“Technically,” Pidge added. “They’re more like…” Pidge raised her hands together in a smaller finger gun motion and miming firing her laser gun. “Ba-choo! Ba-choo! Ba-choo!”

“Okay, enough with the bad sound effects!” Shiro interrupted, pausing to give Isabelle a sly, mischievous look. Isabelle inclined her head in a short, subtle nod. “Besides, it’s more like…”

“Blam! Blam! Blam!” Isabelle added the sound effects, stretching her arms out in front of her as she mimed finger guns. Shiro mirrored the gesture, kneeling and aiming for a new target with each sound effect. Isabelle moved to be back to back with Shiro, moving in sync with him until they wound up kneeling on the floor with their backs pressed together.

“What?” Keith asked.

“You’re crazy.” Pidge rolled her eyes at them, pushing her glasses back up her nose.

“No way!” Lance added.

“Wrong,” Hunk agreed. Isabelle laughed, nudging Shiro playfully with her elbow as they stood.

“Paladins, focus,” Allura said sharply.

“Besides, we can’t just shoot at the Galra. This Balmera…It’s like, alive. And from what we’ve seen, it doesn’t look very good,” Hunk explained. Coran displayed a heat map of the planet, and Isabelle frowned, noting the dwindling energy levels concentrated in the planet’s core.

“Yes. It’s an atrocity what the Galra have been doing to this grand beast,” Coran agreed. “Stealing its crystals—its very life force—without ever performing the energy rejuvenation ceremonies to heal it.”

Isabelle hummed thoughtfully. _Once we’re done, once we’ve freed the planet, is there a way we could do the rejuvenation ceremony? Would it work with all the energy and life force we would have to restore to heal it? Do we have that much power? How…How would that even work?_ She wondered.

“After seeing Shay’s people enslaved, it made me realize how _bad_ Zarkon really is,” Hunk said. “And we’re the only ones who can stop him.”

“Okay, so we can’t go into the tunnels guns blazing,” Shiro said, looking at the map for a long moment. “Plan B; we figure out how to draw the Galra up to the surface and battle them out there.”

“Wait, I know!” Hunk exclaimed. “If we attack all this big mining stuff on the surface, the Galra troops will have to come out to defend it. Then we beat them up, head down to the tunnels, and Voltron saves the day!”

“But how will we know how many are left down in the tunnels?” Keith asked.

“We can track the Galra and the Balmerans using Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology,” Allura said, pulling up a small holographic diagram. Pidge’s eyes widened suddenly and she grinned.

“Oh! BLIP Tech!” she exclaimed, leaning forward to get a closer look at the hologram. “It’s an acronym,” she added, at the confused look Allura gave her.

“One of you will need to fly around the Balmera and drop sensors into the shafts on each side, then we’ll be able to see where the Galra and the Balmerans are. There are already sensors built into your suits,” Allura continued. Isabelle hummed, studying the diagram of the BLIP Tech pod as it lit up and expanded to show maps of the inner tunnels of the Balmera, with various points highlighted with specific notes about them.

“I can do it,” Pidge volunteered. “I just modified the Green Lion with the invisible maze’s cloaking ability.”

“That worked?” Isabelle asked, grinning widely.

“It does! I was able to do your jet too! I’ll show you the new controls for it when we’re done here. In any case,” Pidge continued. “We should be able to fly around unnoticed. So, I can do it.”

“Consider also; what if it malfunctions? Or you get shot at and it stops working? Then you’ll be visible and the Galra will know we’re there. What if…” Isabelle trailed off, biting her lip. “What if I do it? If on the off chance they see me, I’m in a Galra fighter jet and wouldn’t look quite as suspicious as the Green Lion of Voltron.”

“You volunteering for a stealth mission, Captain?” Shiro asked with a knowing, teasing edge to his voice. Isabelle scoffed.

“I’ll have you know I am _damn good_ at flying stealth missions! Espionage is my middle name,” Isabelle defended, straightening her back and placing one hand on her chest.

“No, it’s not,” Shiro laughed. “I _know_ what your middle name is.”

_“I_ only completely wrecked the simulator _once_ in my entire flight school career,” Isabelle added, leveling a knowing look at Shiro.

“But that one time…” Shiro trailed off, snickering. Isabelle laughed, shaking her head.

“That one time was a shit show, I’ll give you that,” she said.

“Look here!” Coran exclaimed suddenly, zooming in on one of the Galra facilities on the Balmera’s surface. It was a large building with an almost domed roof surrounded by tall, imposing towers. The building itself was wired with veins of the glowing purple energy Isabelle was beginning to associate with all things Galra. “That’s their main power generator. If you take that down, it will severely weaken their defenses.”

“We’ll stay in cloud cover and give tactical support,” Allura said, pulling up another holographic display of the castle in front of her. “With the castle’s defenses weakened from Sendak’s crystal, we won’t be of much help to you.”

“I’ll take out the power generator,” Shiro said. “Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, you take out these big mining rigs around the area.”

“I’ll fly the BLIP Tech sensors to the mining shafts, then meet you guys at the main generator,” Isabelle added.

“Yeah!” Hunk yelled, pumping his fists in the air. “Okay, let’s do this! Let’s go kick some alien butt!”

“Alright, everyone,” Isabelle called, drawing the group’s attention. “Time to suit up.”

With that, the group dispersed, heading to put their armor on. Isabelle ran back to her room, quickly putting her purple and black armor back on. She paused for a moment, staring at herself in the mirror in the room. _You got this,_ she reassured herself, taking a few deep, slow breaths to calm her racing heart. _You can do this,_ she thought firmly, fishing a hair tie out of her bag. She braided her hair quickly and loosely, wrapping it into a low bun at the base of her neck and securing it with her hair tie.

Isabelle nodded once to herself, grabbing her helmet and heading out. She caught Pidge by the arm as the girl passed her, and the two quickly ran for the hangar. Isabelle unlocked and started her jet, and Pidge stood next to the pilot’s seat, quickly explaining how she had upgraded the jet with the cloaking technology from the training deck’s invisible maze, and how to operate the new feature. Isabelle nodded in understanding, and Pidge raced off to the Green Lion’s hangar.

“Hey! I, uh, I could use a little help here!” Coran appeared in the hangar a moment later, carrying the BLIP Tech sensors. Isabelle hopped out her jet, rushing to take some of the sensors from Coran and helping him load them into the jet’s cargo hold.

“Alright, we’re good to go,” Isabelle said softly as they finished. “One sensor at the mouth of the mining shafts on each side.”

“Just a quick loop around the Balmera!” Coran added. Isabelle smiled at him, waving as she climbed back into the cockpit of the fighter jet. As Coran left, the castle began to shake as it entered the Balmera’s atmosphere.

“Hey, do you think the Balmerans will have a parade for us after we’ve freed everybody?” Lance asked suddenly via comms.

“It’s not about the glory, Lance,” Keith replied. “It’s about freeing prisoners from Zarkon.”

“No, I know. I know. But still, when they—” Lance’s reply was cut off with a jolt as the lions took off from the castle. Isabelle rolled her shoulders, tilting her head to either side to crack her neck before she took off after them in her jet, pressing the button Pidge had added for invisibility cloaking on her dashboard.

The Galra main generator began firing lasers on the lions as soon as they emerged from the thick clouds of the Balmera’s upper atmosphere. _Oh, for fuck’s sake!_ Isabelle thought, tilting her controls to roll her jet to one side, narrowly avoiding a laser blast. Her eyes widened as the largest tower, one with three diamond-shaped panels on top, glowed bright purple for a second before firing a larger blast at them.

“This is it. Get your heads in the game.” Shiro’s voice rang over the comms.

“Remember, the Balmera is a living creature,” Isabelle added. “Make sure you pinpoint only the Galra installations, not the surface.”

With that, Isabelle peeled off from the lions. She flew low, as close to the surface as she dared, and dropped the first sensor into the nearest mining shaft. _One down,_ she thought. _About a dozen more to go_. Isabelle flew over another mining shaft, dropping another sensor, and pulled her jet back higher to search the map on her dashboard for the other shafts.

Isabelle felt a sudden pull at the back of her mind, a whisper of the connection she had felt when the Black Lion spoke to her, and she turned her head sharply to see Shiro swoop in close to the main generator, slicing through the glowing power stores with a double-edged blade in the Black Lion’s mouth. Isabelle smirked, shaking her head slightly. _Are you…Are you training me too?_ Isabelle wondered, reaching for the tentative connection she felt with the Black Lion. There was no verbal response; Isabelle only felt a vague feeling that the Black Lion had heard her, and spiritually nodded her head in agreement.

“Nice one, Shiro,” Isabelle said, opening a communication line with the Black Lion as she pinpointed the other mining shafts on her map, charting a course to take her to each one. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”

“I didn’t either!” Shiro laughed. “The Black Lion kinda just…coached me into it, if that makes sense.”

“I gotcha,” Isabelle replied, taking off towards her next target.

Delivering the BLIP Tech sensors was just as Coran had said; a quick trip around the planet. Isabelle flew as low to the ground as she dared, dodging most of the battle the Lions fought with the main generator as she dropped the sensors into all the mining shafts on her map. As she finished, she tilted the nose of her jet back, climbing higher into the Balmeran sky, and looping back towards the battle. She opened a communication line with the castle.

“Captain Isabelle Martinez-Rivera, hailing the Castle of Lions,” Isabelle said out of habit, smiling when she caught herself using the standard comm greeting she had been taught in the Garrison. “All sensors delivered.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle circled back to the main power generator just in time to see Keith dodge another attack from the largest tower, firing a burning hot red laser at its base. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows flew up. _Keith has fire powers now? Cool! Okay,_ she thought. _That’s a thing._

“Whoa! Did you guys just see that? I got fire power!” Keith exclaimed over comms. Isabelle smiled at the obvious excitement in his voice.

“Hey! I want that!” Lance responded.

“Oh no,” Keith said as the tower Keith had hit wavered unsteadily and began to topple to one side. Hunk quickly flew under it, holding the tower up on the Yellow Lion’s back.

“Hey!” He called. “We can’t let this thing hurt the Balmera!” Hunk grunted, using the thrusters in the lion’s feet to try and balance himself as he held up the tower. Debris began to fall from the collapsing tower to the surface of the Balmera.

“I think my lion knows what to do!” Lance exclaimed suddenly. He flew the Blue Lion down towards the base of the tower, firing a laser at it that froze into ice on impact. Ice climbed up the tower quickly, freezing the whole thing in place. Isabelle laughed disbelievingly.

“Aw snap!” Lance laughed. “These rays are super cool, just like me!” Isabelle groaned slightly, rolling her eyes.

“Great job, team!” Shiro said as the lions landed on top of the now frozen tower. Isabelle flew towards them, hovering above Shiro.

“Way to go, guys!” she added.

“Where are all the troops?” Keith asked after a long, silent moment. “They’re not coming to the surface.”

“Yeah, I remember seeing a lot of Galra guys down in the mines,” Hunk said. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows and pulled a face.

“We’ve located a hangar full of Galra fighters just below the surface!” Allura’s voice crackled over the comms suddenly. “Someone has to take those out before they can launch.”

“They’re luring us down,” Shiro said. Isabelle grimaced.

“What other option do we have?” she asked. Shiro was silent for a few seconds, and Isabelle could practically feel his inner turmoil.

“We don’t have one. There’s no other choice,” he said finally. “Keith, Lance, you guys hit the hangar. Hunk, head to the prison to rescue Shay and the other Balmerans. Pidge and I will track down the other Galra soldiers. Isabelle?”

“What’s up?” Isabelle replied.

“You still invisible?” Shiro asked.

“Yep.” Isabelle grinned, nodding to herself.

“Good. Go with Hunk; cover him, help him rescue the Balmerans. Maybe you can throw any other Galra off his trail,” Shiro replied. Isabelle nodded.

“You got it,” she said.

“Yes sir,” Keith added.

“Ten-four!” Lance chimed in.

“On it,” Pidge said seriously.

“Let’s do this!” Hunk exclaimed.

Hunk and Isabelle took off towards one of the mining shafts farther away from the main generator. Hunk was forced to leave the Yellow Lion at the entrance of one of the mining shafts, as they were too narrow. Isabelle raised an eyebrow as Hunk exited the lion in a much smaller pod, and parked her jet near the Yellow Lion, running towards the pod and waving to get Hunk’s attention. He opened he top of the pod to let Isabelle in, and flew down the mining shaft.

“Allura? Coran? What’s our location?” he asked over comms. “All these tunnels look the same. I can’t remember where the prison is.”

“You’re on the right path,” Coran replied. “Turn right at the next tunnel. Once you’re there you’ll have to disable the energy doors.”

“Gotcha,” Isabelle said.

“Be careful; it looks like it’s heavily guarded,” Coran warned.

Isabelle took a deep breath, mentally checking over her weapons. _Both bayard-swords, two blasters, and at least one boot-dagger. We got this,_ she told herself. She glanced at Hunk next to her. He set his jaw, staring ahead as they approached the doors.

The tunnel opened suddenly into a large cavern. At one end were the glowing purple energy doors, guarded by multiple sentries. Large stone pillars rose from floor to ceiling in the cavern. Isabelle caught sight of two sentries on a rock outcropping near the doors and barely had time to grimace before they fired on the pod. Hunk grunted in frustration, dodging their lasers and skidding to a stop just inside the tunnel before opening the pod and diving out to take shelter behind it. Isabelle nodded, doing the same and landing in a crouch beside him.

“Alright, what have we got?” he asked, shifting his bayard into its laser canon form.

“I’ve got blasters,” Isabelle replied, drawing her laser guns. Hunk nodded, and they both stood, peering over the top of the pod and firing at the outpost where the sentries stood, almost directly above them. A few blasts from Hunk’s laser canon caused the whole nest to explode. Hunk and Isabelle glanced at each other.

“That was way too easy,” Hunk commented. Isabelle nodded seriously.

“Keep your guard up,” Isabelle said. “Coran said this place was heavily guarded.”

“I definitely don’t have a good feeling about this,” Hunk continued.

“Nope.” Isabelle shook her head.

Slowly, they both approached the energy door from the ground. Isabelle picked up the dismembered robotic hand of one of the sentries as they passed, pressing it to the handprint scanner at the entrance. The doors opened, purple energy receding to let them pass. Isabelle murmured under her breath at the sheer height and size of the door as they passed under it, and she and Hunk took off running down the tunnel.

The tunnel soon grew narrower and darker. Isabelle heard footsteps behind them and pulled Hunk into an alcove off to the side of the tunnel, pressing a finger to her lips against the face shield of her helmet. A group of sentries marched by, and Hunk stared wide-eyed at Isabelle as they did. He opened his mouth to speak, but Isabelle shook her head, nodding in the direction the sentries had come from.

Hunk ran in that direction, Isabelle a half-step behind him. Soon, they came to what Isabelle guessed must be the prisons. Cells were hollowed out or built into the rock, and purple energy doors locked them off from the hallway. The Balmerans locked in the prisons wore simple, but ragged, clothes, and had pale grey, armored skin, glowing yellow eyes, and short, sturdy horns. Hunk ran for one in particular, and Isabelle guessed the Balmerans inside must be Shay’s family. Hunk pressed the sentry hand to the scanner outside, and all the Balmerans inside looked up at him in surprise.

“Hunk, you have returned,” one of them said in a gravelly voice as he stood. He was tall, much taller than Hunk, and towering over even Isabelle. One of the other two Balmerans who stood with him was slightly shorter, but still significantly taller than Isabelle. The other was significantly shorter, with longer horns, and stood hunched over. Both of them wore earrings made of stone.

“I promised I’d be back,” Hunk replied, standing in front of the Balmeran and taking his hands. “This is Isabelle. She’s part of Voltron, and we’re here to help.” Isabelle smiled, waving a little awkwardly.

“Where’s Shay?” Hunk asked.

“Our life may not be perfect, but our family was whole. Your arrival has left us imprisoned and torn apart,” another voice spoke. Isabelle turned to see another Balmeran, younger looking, sitting on the opposite side of the cell. “As soon as your attack started, they took her away to the core of the Balmera. For all we know, she could be gone for good.” Hunk was visibly stunned, eyes wide. Isabelle pursed her lips.

“Paladins, are you there?” Allura asked suddenly. Hunk startled slightly. “The Galra troops are moving down the tunnels. It looks like they’re going down toward the center.”

“They must be heading for the core,” Isabelle said, looking to Hunk.

“That’s where they’re holding Shay,” he added, turning and running out of the cell. Isabelle watched him go for a moment before turning back to the Balmerans.

“I know you don’t know me,” she said slowly. “But we _are_ here to help. And we _will_ be back to free you— _all_ of you. I promise.”

The one who had berated Hunk—Isabelle wondered briefly if he was Shay’s older brother—scoffed at her, turning away. The tall one who had greeted them nodded solemnly, nodding after Hunk in a silent gesture for Isabelle to go. Isabelle nodded back, smiling weakly, and took off down the hall after Hunk.

“They’re drawing us into an ambush,” Shiro said over comms. “But we don’t have a choice if we want to save Shay. We have to follow. Lance, Keith, get to the core. I think we’re going to need everyone together to get through this firefight.”

“Copy that,” Lance replied. “We’re on our way.”

“Hey team, be careful. The Balmera is very unstable,” Pidge warned.

Isabelle nodded to herself as she and Hunk ran through the tunnels towards the core. They did not encounter any more guards or sentries on their way, and it began to make Isabelle uneasy. _The must be waiting for us then, laying a massive ambush at the core,_ she thought. She and Hunk turned down another tunnel, one that they could tell would open up into the Balmera’s core, and Isabelle stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“I know,” Hunk said. “It’s probably a trap.”

“Most likely.” Isabelle nodded. Hunk hummed thoughtfully, summoning his bayard in its laser canon form.

“No offense, but I think I’ve got more firepower than you,” Hunk said, laughing nervously. Isabelle smiled, nodding. “I’ll go in first?”

“I’ll cover you,” Isabelle assured him. “I’ve got your back.”

Hunk nodded decisively before running towards the mouth of the tunnel. Isabelle quickly drew her blasters and ran in after him, ready to return fire. Hunk yelled a battle cry as they ran in, but pulled up short when nothing in the cavern moved to attack them. Isabelle frowned, scanning the cavern and straining her ears to pick up any noise that would indicate trouble, lowering her weapons, but keeping them ready.

“Shay! You’re alive!” Hunk exclaimed. Isabelle followed his gaze to the core of the Balmera. The core glowed with yellow-orange light, and the crystal pillar stretched from the floor to the ceiling. In front of the core, a young Balmeran girl was chained up and hanging from the ceiling by her arms, a metal, mechanical device over her mouth. Isabelle’s heart leapt into her throat at the sight, and she clenched her fists tighter on the grips of her blasters.

Hunk ran down the stairs, towards where Shay was being held. The Balmeran made a muffled sound and shook her head vigorously. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head slightly. From the ground in front of the core, Hunk shot a laser at the ropes holding Shay and rushed forward to catch her when she subsequently fell. At the same time, Isabelle heard footsteps behind her, and whirled around to point her blasters at the intruders. She sighed deeply, relaxing, when Shiro came running in.

“Where are the Galra?” he asked. “If this is an ambush, they should be here waiting for us.”

“I don’t know,” Isabelle replied. “I don’t know, but I do _not_ like it. This is still an ambush, but I’m not sure _how_ anymore.”

As they spoke, Pidge, Keith, and Lance ran into the core from other tunnels. As Pidge entered, the doors slammed shut behind her automatically. One by one, the gates to the tunnels that led into the core slammed closed, trapping them all inside. _Fuck! I knew it! I knew this would be a trap,_ Isabelle thought.

“Not an ambush,” Hunk stated. “More like a trap.”

“And we walked right into it,” Isabelle muttered, groaning internally.

“Whatever it is, keep your guard up,” Keith replied. Isabelle nodded, engaging the jetpack in her armor and hovering down to the floor of the cavern with the others.

“The Galra, they gained knowledge that you would return to the Balmera,” Shay explained once she had removed the device over her mouth.

“How?” Pidge asked, landing beside Shay.

“I know not,” Shay replied, looking down. “But they set this trap just for you. I was the bait.”

“Who could have possibly known that we were heading here to save Shay?” Shiro asked.

“Rolo. Rolo and Nyma,” Isabelle said, grimacing as the realization hit her.

“Those liars must have told Zarkon!” Hunk exclaimed.

“Doesn’t matter now,” Isabelle sighed. “We have to figure out how to get out of here.”

“Wait! We have a giant castle ship hovering in the sky,” Lance said. “Allura, can you please come get us?”

“How do you expect her to do that, genius?” Keith asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I don’t know, maybe they’ve got teleporters or something,” Lance replied. Isabelle shook her head, rolling her eyes.

“We’re quite occupied at the moment. We’re completely surrounded by Galra ships and we’re taking heavy fire,” Allura chimed in suddenly. “Paladins! You need to get out of there as soon as you can!”

“We’re working on it,” Isabelle replied.

“This is it! We’re gonna die in here! I can say bye-bye to that parade!” Lance cried, hanging his head. Isabelle narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. _If he dies in here, it’ll be because I killed him, at this rate,_ she thought.

“Get it together, guys,” Shiro said. “Allura, we’ll get there as soon as we can.”

“Perhaps my people can help us get out,” Shay said hopefully, stepping forward and pressing one hand against the Balmera’s core. “This is how we communicate. The Balmera senses our vibrations and sends a message to those in the tunnels.”

“Are you sure someone will be able to hear your…hand, from all the way down here?” Keith asked.

“The Balmera will deliver the message,” Shay replied.

She bowed her head as if to focus herself, and the Balmera’s core glowed brighter where Shay touched it, accompanied by a soft moan from the Balmera. Isabelle watched in awe as Shay continued to send her message through the Balmera’s core. The whole core glowed a bit more, and the creature made a soft, echoing sound as it relayed Shay’s message through the tunnels.

“Paladins, the lions are in danger!” Allura exclaimed via comms. “You must get back to them immediately!”

“Paladins? Do you copy?” Allura asked again after a moment. “There is a battle cruiser locked onto us. If it fires with its ion cannon, I don’t know if we can survive.”

“We’re trying, Allura,” Lance replied. “Shay’s pressing her hand against a wall, which apparently sends vibrations to the other rock people, who vibrate back, or something? Hand-talking? I guess the answer to your question is: Yes, we copy.”

“Shay’s calling the other Balmerans for help from the core,” Isabelle added, rolling her eyes at Lance and pacing slowly. “We’re waiting for them now.”

“Shay, are you sure the Balmera is sending your message?” Shiro asked. Shay said nothing. She seemed to focus more intently on whatever she was doing to communicate with the Balmera.

Suddenly, the doorway to one of the tunnels creaked loudly, and was crushed by an unseen force that sent a cloud of dust into the air. When the dust cleared, Shay’s family entered the core from the tunnel.

“Rax!” Shay exclaimed. Isabelle knit her eyebrows.

“We must make haste!” The other young Balmeran—Rax, evidently—called to them. “We know a shortcut through the tunnels.

“Allura, stand by. We’re on our way up,” Shiro said as they ran towards Shay’s family, and together they all turned back into the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Shay’s family led them quickly through the tunnels. When they came to familiar passages, the group broke off, each heading for where they had left their pods. Isabelle and Hunk quickly climbed into Hunk’s pod, and Isabelle leaned heavily against the back of his chair as he raced towards the mouth of the tunnel where he had left his lion. _Is my fighter jet still invisible?_ Isabelle wondered suddenly, her eyes widening. _Did they manage to turn it on, or take it back?_

“Paladins, hurry! They’re taking off with the lions!” Allura exclaimed.

At the mouth of the tunnel, Hunk and Isabelle found a Galra ship beginning to pull the Lion in with a tractor beam. Isabelle leaned over Hunk’s seat, pressing the button to open the top of the pod. Hunk yelled incoherently, but Isabelle stood from her seat, jumping out of the pod. She rolled as she landed, coming up to a knee and shouting at Hunk to go, as she turned and ran towards where she had left her fighter jet.

Said jet was not, in fact, still invisible, but it was well hidden behind a rocky outcrop where Isabelle had parked it. She quickly pulled herself into the cockpit, settling heavily in the pilot’s seat and setting her hand on the scanner to light up her dashboard. Immediately, she pressed the button to engage cloaking and took off. Behind her, Hunk had regained control of his lion, and they exited the mining shaft to join the other lions in the sky.

“Guys! Did everyone make it to the lions in time?” Shiro asked.

“Come on, Shiro,” Lance replied slyly. “Who do you think you’re dealing with? A bunch of amateurs—” Lance was cut off with a grunt as he flew the Blue Lion into a Galra tower, spiraling for a moment as he ricocheted off.

“You really want me to answer that?” Shiro asked sarcastically.

“No,” Lance said. Isabelle scoffed a short laugh.

“Let’s go!” she called.

The group flew into the incoming fleet of Galra fighters. The lions slashed or blasted through the first wave with relative ease, but Isabelle’s heart dropped as another wave of fighter jets flew down from the thick clouds of the upper atmosphere. Grimacing, the tilted the nose of her jet up, gaining speed and altitude as she flew in behind the fleet. Tilting herself to the side to gain a better target, Isabelle swooped to fly across the back of the fleet, firing her lasers at them from behind. She grinned viciously as her marks hit and several fighters were hit and exploded.

Tilting the nose of her jet down, Isabelle flew out of the fleet’s formation undetected due to her cloaking, leaning her jet into a roll to regain balance as she doubled back towards where the lions were. Lance and Keith had combined their fire and ice rays to make quick work of many of the rest of the fleet. As Isabelle doubled back, she watched Hunk fly head on into three jets, crushing them against each other before catching them in the Yellow Lion’s mouth and throwing the debris towards another oncoming jet from the side. Three more flew downwards at him.

“Hunk! Watch out!” Pidge yelled, steering the Green Lion in front of Hunk, shielding him from the lasers.

“Gotcha covered!” Keith called, flying in to slash through the three fighter jets with the Red Lion’s jaw blade.

“Thanks, guys!” Hunk replied.

“Great teamwork, all of you!” Isabelle added.

“Paladins! I need you immediately!” Allura exclaimed suddenly. “Five more ticks and we’re finished!”

“Okay team! Let’s form Voltron!” Shiro called.

The other lions converged on Shiro, and in a flash of light they formed Voltron, flying high into the upper atmosphere of the Balmera. Isabelle hovered where she was; she could see nothing through the thick clouds. She watched and waited anxiously.

Suddenly, she saw a powerful blue laser beam streak through the sky. It was followed almost immediately by an explosion powerful enough that Isabelle could see it through the cloud cover in the upper atmosphere in a massive cloud of purple smoke. The paladins cheered enthusiastically over the comms. Isabelle grinned.

“Yeah!” Hunk and Keith both whooped.

“Nice shot, Princess!” Pidge exclaimed.

“Yeah! The parade’s back on!” Lance cheered. Isabelle flew her jet back towards the ground, hovering for a moment as Voltron landed before landing nearby, disengaging the cloaking.

“Mission accomplished,” Keith said, sighing in relief.

“And just in the tick of time,” Allura added as the castle also came in to hover close to the surface of the Balmera. “The Castle’s defenses are battered and will need to fully recharge.”

“There’s an unknown object incoming! It’s about to crash into the Balmera!” Coran exclaimed.

That was all the warning the got before the unknown object crashed into the surface. It landed near enough that the impact kicked up large clouds of dirt and caused the ground beneath Isabelle’s parked fighter jet to shake. When the dust clouds settled, a Galra ship with glowing red accents had crash-landed on the Balmera.

“What the heck was that?” Lance asked.

“Trouble,” Shiro replied, his voice low and rough. Isabelle grimaced, adjusting her grip on her fighter jet’s controls.

“Oh no,” Pidge groaned.

“Please tell me there’s not a giant monster in there,” Hunk said. “Please tell me it’s empty! Or full of space-candy.”

“Fine then, I won’t say anything,” Isabelle replied, making a face.

“I don’t think it’s a piñata, Hunk,” Lance said.

“If it’s the same kind of monster that attacked us on Arus, we already know how to beat it,” Keith said. Voltron formed its sword and shield suddenly, the weapon glowing red in the arm Keith controlled.

“How _does_ that work?” Isabelle asked.

“The sword? Keith’s bayard plugs into a spot on his dashboard and we form the sword with it,” Shiro explained.

“Gotcha.” Isabelle nodded. _Do other weapons or abilities unlock with the other paladins’ bayards then?_ Isabelle wondered. She felt a faint tug in the back of her mind, a distant rumble of approval from the Black Lion. Isabelle smiled to herself.

“Hold you ground!” Shiro called.

Isabelle turned her attention back to the Galra ship as it opened to reveal a red robotic monster with long, tentacle-like arms. A bright green laser gathered power in the center of its chest and the beast shot the beam directly at Voltron, driving them back. Isabelle swore under her breath, checking that the invisibility cloaking was enabled on her jet before flying a wide circle around the monster, looking for weak points.

“It’s not candy!” Hunk exclaimed.

“And it’s not the same monster!” Lance added.

“We need to draw its fire away from the Balmera’s surface!” Shiro stated.

The monster took off suddenly, hovering in the air and firing another laser at Voltron. They circled the monster, hovering just above the surface, before drawing close and swinging at it with their sword. The monster evaded the attack, ducked behind them, and continued to fire. Isabelle groaned in frustration. _No visible weaknesses on this thing. No fuel tank of quintessence like the last monster had,_ she thought. _How do we beat this?_

“We can’t hold out!” Lance yelled as they were caught blocking another laser beam from the monster.

“My lion’s weakening!” Pidge said. “If the shield sustains structural damage, we’re done for!”

“Pidge is right!” Keith agreed.

“Oh, Pidge is right!” Lance said sarcastically. “I’m the one that said _We can’t hold out.”_

Isabelle flew her jet towards the beast and fired her lasers on the monster as it advanced on Voltron. She continued to fire as she circled behind the beast, and it ceased fire on Voltron to scan the skies for her instead. Isabelle hoped the invisibility cloaking Pidge had installed would also erase her from scanners.

“Lance! Watch your footing!” Keith called. Isabelle glanced over at Voltron just in time to see Lance lose his footing, causing them to fall backwards. Isabelle winced, but fired her lasers again to hold the monster’s attention until they got up.

“Okay, Team Voltron, disband,” Shiro said. Voltron split into five lions again, taking to the sky. “Isabelle?”

“I haven’t found a weak point on this thing yet,” Isabelle said. “But it doesn’t seem to be able to find me in stealth mode; it can’t see me and it can’t track me.”

“Right. Stay in stealth mode then,” Shiro agreed. “Everyone, evasive maneuvers! It can’t shoot all of us at once.”

The lions took off in different directions, bobbing and weaving through the air. Isabelle joined them, flying her own evasive maneuvers. The monster raised its long arms suddenly, and shot multiple lasers from each arm. Isabelle swore, tilting her jet into a roll to avoid the blasts.

“Apparently,” she said angrily. “Yes, it can!”

Isabelle flew out in front of the monster, away from its laser arms. She took a deep breath, aiming a shot at its chest, and firing. Isabelle’s laser hit one of the monster’s arms, damaging it and causing some of the lasers to short out. Isabelle whooped, circling to the other side. Another laser hit the monster from behind, causing it to stumble forward, stopping all of its laser fire for a moment. The Castle of Lions appeared suddenly in the Balmeran sky, protected once again with its particle barrier. The monster turned its head, firing a laser from its eye at the castle.

“Keith!” Shiro called. “Try to draw its fire, I’m coming in from above!”

“Roger!” Keith replied.

The monster raised its arms again, shooting lasers from them. Keith flew the Red Lion as close to the Balmera’s surface as he dared, about eye level with the monster, as he approached and fired his heat ray at the monster’s chest. The monster focused all its lasers on him, and Keith dodged the attack as Shiro dove at the monster from above and behind it. The monster turned its eye laser around, firing at Shiro.

“We need to find its blind spot,” Lance said.

“I don’t think this thing has a blind spot,” Pidge replied. “It has a thousand eyes.”

“Laser eyes! Laser eyes!” Hunk yelled as he dodged the monster’s lasers. Behind him, one of the Galra towers was struck with a laser and fell.

“What do we do? Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once!” Pidge exclaimed. Isabelle scanned the monster again, noting the damage she had done to one of its arms.

“I’m going to see if I can take out the rest of that arm,” she said. “I damaged it before and some of the lasers shorted out…If I can take the whole thing off…”

“That’s about a dozen less lasers to worry about,” Keith finished. “I think we gotta aim for those laser eyes and take them out.”

Isabelle nodded, circling back to the beast’s side. She fired another laser at the monster’s shoulder, and the beast jerked sideways as she hit it. The whole arm shorted out and fell limp at the beast’s side, and Isabelle grinned to herself.

“We’ll cover you from up here!” Allura added. The castle then fired on the beast from behind, and it turned to focus its remaining arm lasers and chest laser on the castle. “We’re taking heavy fire up here! We’re in trouble!”

“Princess, pull back! Get out of its range, now!” Shiro ordered.

“We will not abandon you!” Allura argued.

“You’re not abandoning us,” Shiro said. “We’re about to pull back anyway.”

“We are?” Hunk asked.

“We can’t hold out. We have to,” Shiro replied. “Lions, to the mine shafts. It’s the only place the monster can’t get us.”

“Roger that!” Pidge replied, and flew for the nearest mine shaft.

“Heading into orbit!” Allura said as the castle flew back into the clouds.

Isabelle flew down the mine shaft with Shiro, meeting him, Keith, and Hunk, at the bottom. They left their lions and ran towards a group of Balmerans gathered on the ground at the bottom of the mine shaft. Isabelle hopped out of her jet to join them, realizing as she approached that these Balmerans were Shay and her family.

“What is happening?” Rax asked.

“There’s a monster up there that Zarkon sent to destroy us,” Keith explained.

“A monster? Will Zarkon’s savagery never abate?” Shay asked. “Perhaps our people were never meant to be free.” Shay turned away, burying her head against her father’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Isabelle made a small noise in the back of her throat and her heart twisted in her chest. _No,_ she thought. _Your people were never meant to be enslaved. It was Zarkon’s doing…But I will do everything in my power to undo it. I promise._

“Shay, don’t give up,” Hunk said. “Zarkon’s power grows with every planet he conquers, but he is weakened by every being that fights back.”

“Fight back?” Shay echoed. “Against a monster like that? How?”

“I don’t know,” Hunk sighed. “But we can beat it. Tell her, Keith.”

“Can we?” Keith asked. Isabelle looked sharply at Keith.

“Yes, we can,” Isabelle said decisively.

“This is our first mission and we’re not going to fail,” Shiro added, looking at Hunk and Keith before turning to the Balmerans. “We just need some time to come up with a plan.”

“See? I told you we can,” Hunk said encouragingly. “Thanks, Shiro.”

Any further discussion was cut off as the ground began to shake, rumbling beneath them, and loose rocks fell from the mining shaft above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

The ground beneath them shook again, and the Balmera moaned. Isabelle stumbled as she tried to regain her footing.

“Did you guys feel that over there?” Hunk called over comms. The ground continued to shake.

“Yeah, we feel it,” Lance replied from another mining shaft where he and Pidge had landed.

“It’s that sound again,” Pidge commented. “What is that?”

Cracks splintered on the ground, and Shay and her family knelt down to them. The older, shorter Balmeran pressed her hand to the cracks. They all looked despaired and concerned as they looked up at the paladins with glowing yellow eyes.

“That great noise comes from the Balmera itself,” Rax explained, standing. “Our home crumbles beneath our feet. The Balmera is dying.”

“Coran? Allura? Are you there?” Shiro asked suddenly.

“Shiro, we’re here,” Allura replied.

“The Balmera—” Shiro started.

“We already know,” Coran interrupted. “Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera.”

“How does that happen?” Pidge asked.

“Removing crystals from a Balmera is like removing a vital part of the mighty beast,” Coran explained. “The Balmera itself needs time to regenerate itself to stay healthy, but the Galra’s greed may have cost this Balmera its life.”

As Coran spoke, he sent them the scanners’ readings of the Balmera. Shiro used the holographic display on the wrist of his uniform to show the readings to Isabelle, Keith, and Hunk. The readings were significantly lower than when they had viewed them from the castle before they landed. Isabelle frowned, pulling a face.

“So, what’s gonna happen?” Hunk asked.

“Its core will collapse, destabilizing the entire skeletal structure,” Coran said. “Anything or anyone remaining on the Balmera at that point will be crushed into dust.”

“How long before its core collapses?” Shiro asked.

“Probably a matter of hours,” Coran responded sadly. Shiro, Hunk, and Keith all looked at each other in distress. “The mighty organism gives itself to all, but not all return its kindness.”

“Then our time is short,” Allura said. “We need to get all the Balmerans to the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes.”

“Okay, that sounds like a good plan. But how on earth do you plan on landing the castle with that monster-thingy on the surface?” Hunk asked.

“You’ll need a distraction,” Pidge said.

“We’ll engage the beast in our lions,” Shiro said. “With it distracted, Allura and Coran will land the castle and load all of its citizens.”

“Or we could load Balmerans into our lions a few at a time and shuttle them to the ship,” Lance suggested. “No engaging ferocious laser-eye guy? How long would that take?”

“Days? Weeks?” Coran guessed.

“We only have hours,” Keith said sharply. Isabelle glanced at Shiro, who looked down, deep in thought.

“Look, we don’t need to beat this thing,” he said finally. “We just need to bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade.”

“Okay, here’s the thing. I’m worried that we’re gonna be really, really good at the provoking part, and then like, really bad at the evading part,” Hunk said, gesturing with one hand. Isabelle hummed, nodding thoughtfully. “But if this is what it takes to save Shay and everyone on the planet, then I’m in.”

“Can you contact the other Balmerans?” Keith asked, turning to Shay.

“I can,” Shay replied. “But I know not what they’ll say. Leave the planet? Our home?”

“Is there anything we can do to prevent the core collapse?” Isabelle asked, taking in the openly horrified expressions of Shay and her family. “Coran, you mentioned a rejuvenation ceremony earlier on the castle. Do we have that kind of time or power?”

“In the old days, Alteans would perform a ceremony to reinfuse the Balmera with quintessence after they were given a crystal, yes,” Coran said slowly. “But we don’t have that kind of time! This Balmera is dying and very unstable as it is…It’s very noble of you, Isabelle, but I don’t see how we could pull it off.”

“Coran is right. Evacuation is our only option,” Allura agreed. Isabelle pulled a face, looking down. “I’m coming down.”

“Princess, no!” Coran argued. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Someone has to be there to lead these people out,” Allura stated.

“You’re coming down?” Pidge asked. “That thing will spot your pod and blow it to pieces!”

“Let me worry about that,” Allura said gently. Isabelle narrowed her eyes at the video call Shiro had displayed. “You just focus on keeping the creature distracted.”

The lions soon took off again, flying out of the mine shafts. Isabelle took off in her jet, engaging cloaking again. She and Shiro had agreed that it would be an effective way to distract the monster; it had allowed her the cover to damage its arm, disabling half of its lasers. Lance and Pidge flew out from their mine shaft, and the monster turned towards them. While it was distracted, Hunk, Keith, and Shiro flew at it from the mine shaft they had taken refuge in, striking at its chest before backing away and dodging the lasers it shot at them.

The monster took flight suddenly to chase after the lions, and Isabelle scanned it again. _Ah…I see. Laser thrusters on its back,_ she noted, flying high above the monster as it followed the lions away from the mining shafts. The monster shot lasers from its eyes after them.

“Okay, we’ve provoked,” Hunk said via comms. “Time to evade!”

“Princess, we’ve lured the monster away,” Shiro added. “It’s time.”

“I’ll contact you all when I’m on the ground,” Allura responded.

“Roger,” Isabelle said.

She took a deep breath, lining up a laser shot at the monster’s back, aiming for the thrusters that allowed it to fly. Isabelle grimaced when the shot missed, but still hit the monster’s shoulder, throwing its flight equilibrium off. The monster landed, unceremoniously stumbling into the ground.

“Is that Allura?” Lance asked suddenly. Isabelle scanned the skies for a moment before catching sight of Allura. She flew towards the surface of the Balmera aided only by a what looked like a shield. The monster turned its sights on Allura as well, and Isabelle cursed under her breath.

“We’ve gotta protect the princess!” Hunk exclaimed.

He flew the Yellow Lion at the monster, and took a direct hit from its eye lasers. Isabelle gasped aloud and winced as Hunk was send hurtling backwards from the blow. Shiro chased after him, using the monster’s back as a springboard. As it aimed its lasers after them, Lance flew by, freezing the monster’s head with his ice ray. Isabelle grinned, but it was short-lived, as the monster broke through the ice with its lasers and rounded on Lance.

“How about no?” Isabelle said determinedly.

She turned off her cloaking long enough to fire a laser at the monster’s head, drawing its attention. She hovered in the air for a moment, taunting it, before it fired its eye lasers at her. Isabelle tilted her jet into a roll to dodge the strike, and turned her invisibility cloaking back on simultaneously. The monster whipped its head around, searching for her. Isabelle flew around behind it, landing a shot at its back with her lasers. Smiling to herself, Isabelle took off after the lions, and the monster gave chase after them.

“I’m on the ground!” Allura’s voice sounded over the comms.

“Hurry!” Shiro exclaimed. “I don’t know how long we can hold this thing off!”

Isabelle turned in her seat to get a look at the monster. It could still fly, chasing after them, but its flight pattern was erratic and unsteady. The monster veered suddenly, crashing into a large rock outcropping and spiraling for a long moment before it adjusted its course to continue chasing them. Isabelle had done some kind of damage to the thrusters on its back, and her lips curled into a smirk at the realization.

“Castle of Lions coming in!” Coran exclaimed suddenly over comms. “Paladins, how are you holding up?”

“I think we’ve got him pretty distracted,” Keith replied, dodging a string of laser attacks from the monster from where it had landed once more, unable to continue flying. “Are the Balmerans in position?”

“They’re making their way to the top!” Allura replied.

“Alright everyone, you heard the princess,” Shiro said. “Head back for the mining shafts, where the castle is landing.”

Isabelle nodded, and they circled back towards the direction they had come. The paladins flew together in formation, close to the ground. Isabelle circled higher, above the monster in case she needed to engage it again. The monster fired constant laser attacks at the lions as they flew back, and Isabelle groaned in frustration. She fired a few lasers at its head in an attempt to disable the eye lasers, but it continued to fire on the paladins.

“Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you evacuated yet? What’s happening?” Hunk asked.

“The Balmerans are trapped!” Coran replied. “Just keep distracting that beast!”

“Uh, do you want us to distract it by dying?” Hunk asked, a frustrated, sarcastic edge to his voice. “Because that’s what’s going to happen!”

“We’re running out of tricks over here, Coran!” Isabelle argued. “And we’re under continuous heavy fire!”

“Guys, remember when I said we didn’t have to beat it?” Shiro asked.

“Yes, I remember that,” Hunk said immediately.

“Well, we might have to beat it,” Shiro stated. There was a slight sigh as he spoke, and Isabelle frowned. 

As they approached the area where the castle had landed, the monster began to fire on them with its chest laser and its one still-operational arm laser. Isabelle cursed under her breath as she dodged the beams, and the paladins split from their formation, flying evasive maneuvers around the monster and occasionally flying in close to fire their own laser strikes at it. Isabelle circled back around, firing her lasers at the monster as well.

“Guys, this isn’t working. We’ll never take this beast down in our lions,” Keith commented.

“Well, forming Voltron didn’t work either,” Pidge replied.

“Not without some way to shoot all those laser eyes at once,” Lance added.

“Guys! Guys, something’s happening here!” Hunk exclaimed.

“What’s up, Hunk?” Isabelle asked.

“I-I think there’s a way to take down all those laser eyes at once!” Hunk called.

“Well what is it?” Pidge demanded.

“Well, do you remember how Voltron formed that sword with Keith’s bayard? I think my lion’s telling me I can do the same thing with my bayard,” Hunk explained.

“Are you sure?” Keith asked.

“Well, let’s find out. Form…thingy!” Hunk yelled. “It didn’t work!”

“Because we didn’t form Voltron yet!” Shiro responded.

“Oh, right…Yeah, I know,” Hunk stammered.

“Guys, whatever we’re planning, let’s hurry up and do it,” Pidge said.

The monster suddenly stopped firing at them. Isabelle looked to see it had turned its attention to the castle, a little way’s away. She curled her lip, making a face. _Yeah, no,_ she thought. _Not on my watch. Eyes on me, asshole._ Isabelle pulled her jet in front of the monster, turning her cloaking off as she hovered in front of it again. She fired several rounds of lasers at it, the explosions driving the monster backwards.

Isabelle’s distraction gave the paladins enough time to form Voltron, and she sighed in relief. They fired a strong blue laser beam at the monster as it was charging its power for an attack on the castle, effectively drawing its attention again. Voltron landed on the Balmera’s surface between the monster and the castle, blocking its path. Suddenly, a large canon formed on Voltron’s shoulder, and Isabelle raised her eyebrows. _It must be whatever Hunk’s lion was trying to tell him earlier,_ she thought.

The monster charged power for a single, concentrated green laser. Voltron fired the laser canon in return, and the beams collided midway between them. The resulting blast sent Isabelle’s jet reeling, and she yelled as she fought for control over it, spiraling slightly out of the way as she did.

“It’s not enough!” Shiro yelled.

“We’ll have to try something else!” Hunk replied. Voltron redirected the laser beam, shooting it just past the castle. They took off again, flying away from the castle and drawing the monster’s attacks away.

“Are you guys seeing that?” Hunk asked suddenly. Isabelle knit her eyebrows, shaking her head.

“Roger that!” Keith replied.

“Let’s see what this thing can do! Engage!” Shiro yelled. Hovering high in the air, Voltron engaged the shoulder canon again. This time, however, it fired a spray of lasers, each one taking a different direction and attacking the monster from different angles. After a few minutes of this attack, the monster stumbled back onto its knees, short circuiting.

Suddenly, the ground near the castle glowed a brilliant, bright blue. Isabelle gasped softly as the blue spread across the surface of the Balmera, small veins of glowing energy stretching across the surface. Some of the thick, green clouds in the atmosphere slowly began to clear, leaving an atmosphere that was still green, but no longer polluted.

“Guys, look!” Shiro exclaimed. The paladins murmured in awe, and Voltron landed carefully on the surface. Isabelle flew her jet around, near the castle, and landed, turning off her cloaking. The blue glow slowly faded from the Balmera’s surface.

The monster rose suddenly, firing lasers on Voltron again. Isabelle cursed, but did not have time to take off once more before Voltron had dodged the attacks, punched the monster square in the chest, and sent it flying backwards and sliding to a halt before powering down, defeated.

The lions landed, and the paladins got out, running towards the mining shaft where Allura, Coran, and several Balmerans stood. Isabelle quickly jumped out of her jet to join them. They found Shay’s family among the Balmerans on the ground. Shay herself knelt on the ground, carefully helping Allura to her feet. They had just reached the Balmerans when the monster rose again, charging a green laser to fire at them.

“No!” Allura gasped.

Before anything else could happen, however, blue crystals sprang from the ground around the monster. The crystals grew upwards rapidly, encompassing the monster completely. Isabelle’s eyebrows raised, and she felt her eyes widen in shock.

“No way!” Hunk exclaimed breathlessly.

“The Balmera just saved us,” Coran said.

“Look at the crystals!” Allura exclaimed. Isabelle looked down and murmured in amazement as clear, bright, blue crystals began to grow up from the ground.

“Oh, who’s a good Balmera! You are! Who ate the big monster? You did!” Hunk exclaimed, his voice taking on a tone as if he were talking to an excited puppy. “Yes, you did! Yes, you did!”

“Dude, what are you doing?” Keith asked.

“What?” Hunk asked. “It’s alive, and it loves scratches.”

Isabelle laughed, but turned to Coran and Allura where they stood with the Balmerans. Allura still leaned heavily on Shay for support. Her family gathered loosely around them, smiling at Isabelle as she approached.

“What happened?” Isabelle asked.

“Allura was able to perform the rejuvenation ceremony when she landed,” Coran explained. “Thanks to her, the Balmera lives and is reinfused with quintessence!”

“Really? It worked after all?” Isabelle asked, raising an eyebrow. _Thanks to Allura?! Didn’t I suggest that from the beginning? Wasn’t it you and Allura who told me we didn’t have the time? That evacuating the planet was our only option? So much for my ‘noble intentions’ when you take the credit for it, huh?_ She thought, but bit her tongue from saying.

“Oh my!” the older Balmeran woman gasped suddenly, staring wide-eyed at Isabelle.

Isabelle knit her eyebrows, following the Balmeran’s gaze down. She gasped softly to see the ground, the surface of the Balmera, glowing beneath her feet. She watched as a crystal sprouted from the glowing ground. Isabelle knelt to investigate it, feeling a warm, peaceful hum from the Balmera as she did. The crystal took the shape of a tiara; three large sections shaped like diamonds stood at the front, and smaller, sleeker crystals wound between them and formed the band that one would use to wear it. The crystals were brilliant blue, and sparkled in the sunlight. Gingerly, Isabelle picked up the tiara, feeling another surge of energy from the Balmera as she did. She held it gently, standing and turning to the older Balmeran woman, Shay’s grandmother.

“The Balmera has given you a gift, child,” Shay’s grandmother said with a watery smile. Tears gently fell from her eyes, and Isabelle reached to hug her, but she shook her head. “No, my child, they are tears of happiness.”

“I…I don’t understand?” Isabelle asked. Shay’s grandmother reached out to take Isabelle’s hands.

“Long, long ago, Balmeras would give a gift such as this to a person the Balmera deemed to people it knew to show exceptional kindness, bravery, and possess pure hearts. The Balmera would gift this person—this hero—a crystal like the one you hold to proclaim this to others. Heroes worthy of the Balmera’s gift are few, but they have been known to be formidable forces for good in the universe,” Shay’s grandmother explained.

Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she felt her hands shake just slightly. The Balmeran woman squeezed her hands gently, taking the crystal tiara from her. Isabelle let her hands drop to her sides, and she watched as Shay’s grandmother looked meaningfully at her, holding the crystal tiara out. Isabelle nodded, murmuring to herself, and slowly lowered herself down to kneel in front of Shay’s grandmother. She took her helmet off, shook her hair free from its ponytail, and bowed her head slightly.

“The Balmera has recognized in you great kindness, bravery, and good intentions. The Balmera asks for nothing in return for this gift but that you remain kind, brave, and pure of heart,” she said, placing the tiara on Isabelle’s head. Her voice shook, breaking slightly as she spoke. Isabelle’s heart pounded in her chest and she made a small noise in the back of her throat as she looked up at Shay’s grandmother. She smiled, tears of joy and awe falling freely as she took Isabelle’s hands and guided her to stand.

“The Balmera sees greatness in you, Isabelle,” Shay’s grandmother said. “You will change the universe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voltron really skimped in the lore department, so I went and did it myself. 
> 
> I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“So,” Shiro drawled, smirking at Isabelle. The two of them sat in the lounge, after dinner when the group had branched off to do different things. “I guess you’re the Balmera’s chosen one now.”

“I _guess,”_ Isabelle echoed. “I still don’t know what to make of that. I know Shay’s grandmother told us the stories of Balmeras giving these gifts to people who would change the universe and all that…” she trailed off, gesturing vaguely with her hands and leaning back against the couch. _It sounds like some legendary mythological hero stuff. Like, King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table type stuff,_ Isabelle thought. _And the Balmera saw some echo of that…in me? What do I do with that?_

“I mean, maybe it goes back to the whole Voltron thing,” Shiro mused. “We are supposed to be defenders of the universe, after all. Maybe this is a good sign? That we’re going the right thing, and it’ll work out somehow?”

“No pressure or anything,” Isabelle responded, smirking wryly. Shiro chuckled. “I _guess_ it could be reassuring. I can’t have fucked up too badly if the Balmera thinks I’m worthy. But…”

“But?” Shiro prompted, raising an eyebrow.

“What if I’m not what the Balmera thinks I am?” she asked earnestly. “What if I’m not some legendary hero who’s going to change the universe? What if we can’t defeat Zarkon? How do we even go about that? We have no plan, and Allura is in a bad habit of just _doing things_ without telling the rest of us about it. So how are we supposed to even make plans? We don’t have a lot of information either about Zarkon’s plans or the Galra Empire in general, so we have no idea how to fight them—”

“Hey,” Shiro interrupted softly. He rested his hands on Isabelle’s shoulders, and her eyes snapped to his immediately. “The Balmera would not have chosen you if it didn’t think you were worthy. I don’t know about the whole legendary hero thing, but who knows? Maybe you will. Maybe we all will. Only time will tell with that one.”

“Thanks,” Isabelle said dryly, rolling her eyes.

“I wasn’t done,” Shiro replied, making a face. Isabelle laughed softly. “I don’t have answers for the other things, though. And I’m worried too…But the more people we get to know, get to talk to, the more we’ll learn about Zarkon and how the Empire operates. And then we’ll have some information for you to work your tactical battle strategy magic with. Okay?”

“Okay…God you still give the best pep talks. I think it’s a superpower at this point,” Isabelle replied, smiling. Shiro laughed, and Isabelle joined in after a second. “That still leaves us with one more problem though.”

“You and Allura don’t see eye to eye,” Shiro said. Isabelle raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “I’m not sure she’s used to working with a team the way we are. If we continue to have a communication problem, we’ll have to talk to her about it.”

“Fair enough. But I don’t want to give it much longer before we address it,” Isabelle said. _I don’t like the way she keeps things from us,_ she thought. _She didn’t tell us she was even doing the rejuvenation ceremony on the Balmera. She didn’t tell us she had taken Sendak prisoner. And that’s just the stuff we know she’s hid from us. What don’t we know about?_ She wondered.

“I get that,” Shiro agreed.

After a few more minutes, he stood, stretching his arms over his head with a groan. Isabelle accepted the hand Shiro offered her, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. She took a minute to arch her back, stretching her arms out to the sides and tilting her head back as her back cracked. She glanced at Shiro, throwing an arm over his shoulders and pulling him into a side hug.

“Come on,” Shiro said, returning the gesture as they left the lounge. “It’s been a long day, and I’m fucking tired. Let’s go get some rest.” Isabelle laughed, nodding her agreement.

* * *

The next day, Coran gathered everyone in the lower basement levels of the castle. He led them down a hallway where rows of pod, similar to the healing pods upstairs, stretched out in front of them, seemingly endless. Isabelle shifted uncomfortably. _Why bring us down here? What are we doing? Is…Is this where Coran and Allura are keeping Sendak? In a cryo-pod down here? That’s…horrifying._ Isabelle thought.

Sure enough, Coran led them to the only occupied cryo-pod in the basement, and Sendak was frozen and unconscious inside. Coran began sticking small, round electronic devices on the glass of the pod. Isabelle bounced on the balls of her feet, casting a look over at Shiro. _I don’t like this,_ she thought as she held eye contact with him, shaking her head slightly. Shiro pursed his lips and nodded slightly. Isabelle narrowed her eyes.

“Okay guys, Sendak’s almost all hooked up,” Coran said, pulling up a holographic monitor on another, smaller nearby pod. Pidge stepped closer to investigate the sensors Coran had placed, while everyone else stood back warily. “But, look, I have to warn you, this technology was used to keep Altean memories alive, not to interrogate prisoners.”

“Is that what this is?” Isabelle asked, curling her lip. “An interrogation? Sendak is _frozen_ and _unconscious_ and you’re about to use invasive, possibly magic technology to access his mind. That’s not an interrogation in the usual sense of the word…At least, not on Earth.”

“But how else are we going to get information about Zarkon?” Lance asked.

“We could move him to one of the holding cells we passed on the way down here! We could treat him with the basic human decency required by international laws on Earth for keeping someone prisoner! We could interrogate him the usual way!” Isabelle exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. “This isn’t an interrogation; this is a war crime.”

“Isabelle…” Shiro started, pursing his lips. “We don’t have the time to interrogate him the usual way. He wouldn’t tell us anything, and we’d spend days, at least, trying to wear him down. I don’t like it either, but this is our only shot right now.”

“I still hate this,” Isabelle said darkly, glaring. Shiro sighed deeply before turning to face Coran.

“Coran, we understand this isn’t what the technology is meant for,” Shiro said. “But if we can extract Sendak’s memories, we may gain valuable intelligence on Zarkon’s troop locations.”

“Yeah!” Lance agreed. “And then we can be like ‘Knock-knock.’ ‘Who’s there?’ ‘The avenging fury of Voltron, son!’”

“Fascinating. So, how exactly does this work?” Pidge asked.

“As the memories are extracted, they’re written bit by bit on individual molecules of the micro-storage strands,” Coran explained as he set up the system on the monitor.

“When I go, I want all the stuff in my brain stored on a giant ship,” Lance said. Isabelle knit her eyebrows, making a face.

“The amount of information in your brain could be stored in a paper airplane,” Keith responded. Isabelle snorted, bringing one hand up to cover her mouth, stifling her laughter.

“Oh yeah?” Lance asked, turning to face Keith. “Well, the amount of information you have, Keith, could be…”

“Yeah?” Keith prompted.

“Uh—It’s less than what I have!” Lance exclaimed, crossing his arms with a smug look on his face.

“Oh! Good one, Lance!” Hunk cheered. Isabelle shook her head.

“Don’t cheer for that, it was bad,” she said.

“This is how you incorporated King Alfor’s memories into the Castle of Lions?” Pidge asked Coran.

“Precisely,” Coran replied. “But it’s never been attempted before on an unwilling participant.”

“It shouldn’t,” Isabelle muttered. “No need to start now.”

Coran said nothing, but finished whatever work he was doing on the monitor and stepped back. The group watched the pod anxiously. Isabelle crossed one arm over her chest, her other arm held up to her face where her fist loosely curled in front of her mouth. The second, smaller pod began to glow blue from inside, making a watery sound.

“Uh, is this what’s supposed to be happening?” Hunk asked. Coran scratched the back of his head.

“Let’s give it some time,” Shiro said.

They waited for at least half an hour. Keith had leaned back against another pod, Lance and Pidge took seats on the floor. Hunk fell backwards at one point, deciding to remain where he landed sprawled out on the floor. Isabelle sighed, sitting cross-legged on the floor near Shiro, leaning her head on his leg. Shiro and Coran remained standing. Coran soon began to work at the monitor again, trouble-shooting.

“Well, I can’t wait around anymore,” Keith announced. “I’m going to hit the training deck.”

“I might join you in a minute, if that’s alright,” Isabelle called as Keith turned to leave.

“Yeah, sure,” Keith replied.

After another few minutes of waiting, Isabelle excused herself as well. She headed back to her room, shedding her jacket and tossing it over a chair when she entered. She already wore a sports bra and dark purple tank top underneath it, deciding that and her yoga pants would be find for training. She quickly tied her hair into a ponytail, grabbed her bayards, and headed for the training deck.

Keith was already there when she walked onto the training area, working on a monitor in the wall near the entrance. Isabelle raised an eyebrow, walking over.

“What’s this?” she asked, nodding towards the monitor.

“Coran showed me how to program the gladiator,” Keith explained. “I’m looking at its settings now.”

“Wait,” Isabelle said after a second, looking at the screen. The difficulty level of the robot was set in the highest setting bracket. “Is that what it was on when we fought it the first time?”

“Yeah…” Keith trailed off, scrolling through the screen. “Oh, you’ve got to be joking. Did Allura trick us?”

“She told us these settings were fit for an Altean child. My ass they were. She threw us to the wolves,” Isabelle said, putting her hands on her hips and staring down the monitor. “Set it to an actual easier setting? I want to see how we do with that.”

Keith nodded, scrolling back down the list. He programmed the gladiator for the first level in the second difficulty bracket, and Isabelle nodded her approval. They had practiced together a few more times since that first late night, usually late at night despite Isabelle’s warning that they should not make a habit of sparring at midnight.

They each drew their weapons, taking a fighting stance, as the gladiator dropped down. The gladiator drew a sword after seemingly assessing them, and they circled each other for a moment. Isabelle hummed, studying the gladiator. The metal robot had gaps in its armor at the joints, built similar enough to a Galra sentry that if they could learn to disable the gladiator, they could fight sentries with more ease.

The gladiator lunged at Keith, thrusting forward with its sword. Keith parried the strike, stepping to one side and swinging his blade at its head before backing away. The gladiator dissolved in a flash of blue particles. Keith stared wide-eyed at Isabelle, lowering his sword.

“What the hell?” he asked. Isabelle shrugged.

“I guess it’s a hologram?” she suggested.

“I _guess,”_ Keith echoed.

“It does give us the opportunity to aim for vulnerable areas on a target like this without breaking stuff,” Isabelle added. Keith furrowed his eyebrows at her. “If you can hit joints on this robot that are only partially covered, you’ll take off robot limbs and short circuit the system. Galra sentries are robots like this.”

“Oh!” Keith exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up. “Good call.”

“Start training level 2.” A robotic voice sounded suddenly.

“Yeah, sure, lay it on me,” Isabelle commented, twirling her swords in her hands as the gladiator appeared.

The gladiator drew a sword and lunged at Isabelle after a few moments of hesitation. Isabelle blocked the strike with her swords, moving to the side. She swung one sword at the gladiator’s head, careful not to make contact and disintegrate it, before sliding her other sword down the length of the gladiator’s weapon and shoving it away. Isabelle blocked a few more blows from the gladiator, moving to sides and corners as she did so it would have to attack her from an angle instead of head-on. She raised her right sword to block a high strike to her right side. The gladiator swung at her with its free arm, and she slashed at it with her left sword, spinning under the block she held up with her right arm and slashing across the gladiator’s chest with her right sword. Before the gladiator disintegrated on contact, Isabelle slashed her left sword at its legs. Isabelle smirked as the gladiator disappeared into blue particles.

“Start training level three,” the robotic voice said. Isabelle locked eyes with Keith, still smirking. Keith gave the barest hint of a smile, nodding slightly.

“Start training level three!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“You getting tired on me, Captain?” Keith asked as he and Isabelle circled the gladiator again. They had moved through the entire second training bracket, and started the third one together, fighting the gladiator as a team. Isabelle snickered at Keith’s comment.

“Not even a little,” Isabelle replied, smirking. She wiped one hand across her face, brushing back curly, sweat-soaked strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. The gladiator rounded on Keith, swinging a staff at his legs. Keith jumped, planting one foot on the staff as he landed and swinging his sword at the gladiator’s head. The gladiator leaned back, tilting the staff up to throw Keith off-balance. Isabelle rushed in, swinging her swords at the gladiator’s legs. The gladiator turned to her, bringing the staff down on top of her. Isabelle ducked to the side, stabbing the gladiator through the chest, watching as it dissolved into blue particles.

“No,” Isabelle said as she turned to Keith. “I’m not getting tired. But _you_ are _definitely_ slowing down on me.” Keith grumbled in protest, shoving at her arm as he stood. Isabelle smiled, shoving back at him.

“Start training level three,” Keith called.

“You want this one to yourself?” Isabelle asked. Keith nodded, and Isabelle nodded back, stepping back towards the wall of the training deck to watch.

The gladiator dropped down from the ceiling again, this time with a bayard-like sword in hand. Keith deflected a few strikes from the gladiator, ducking under one to put himself behind it. The gladiator turned to face him, driving him backwards with increasingly aggressive offensive strikes. Isabelle pursed her lips as she watched, studying the gladiator’s new strategy. A backhanded attack suddenly sent Keith flying; he stumbled and fell as he landed, rolling several feet before pulling himself back up.

“End training sequence,” Keith said, panting. The gladiator continued to walk towards him. “End training sequence!”

Isabelle frowned, summoning her swords again. _What’s going on? Is the program malfunctioning?_ She wondered. The gladiator’s eyes glowed red suddenly, and it rushed at Keith. Keith yelled as the gladiator slashed at him, knocking his sword out of his hands and kicking him in the chest. Isabelle rushed forward, engaging the gladiator as Keith stumbled to his feet.

“Try to manually shut it down!” Isabelle yelled, slashing at the gladiator. It evaded her strike, slashing at her ribs. Isabelle blocked the strike with one of her swords, parrying and striking back. She raised both of her swords to block as the gladiator brought its weapon down towards her head.

“It won’t shut down! Something’s wrong!” Keith yelled. Isabelled groaned, and the gladiator suddenly shoved her aside with enough force to knock Isabelle off her feet. She fell, log-rolling for a few feet before kicking herself into a back roll, landing with one knee up, swords raised at the gladiator.

“Let’s get out of here!” Isabelle called. “Maybe Coran can shut it down from the bridge!”

Keith nodded, running towards where his sword had turned back into a bayard. The gladiator rounded on him, swiping at his head. Keith leaned back, sliding on his knees under the gladiator’s strike before picking up his bayard and running for the door. Isabelle hopped to her feet, running alongside him. Outside, Keith closed the door to the training deck and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Isabelle stood nearby, supporting herself on the wall, panting.

The gladiator suddenly thrust its sword through the opening between the electric doors, turning the blade to force the doors open. Isabelle and Keith both jumped, backing away from the door, and Isabelle cursed loudly. She leaned over, grabbing Keith’s arm and pulling him along with her as she turned and ran.

“Shit!” Isabelle swore as she heard the gladiator following close behind them.

Keith grabbed her arm suddenly, pulling her down a hallway. Isabelle nodded to him as they continued to run. Keith drew his sword suddenly, turning to strike as the gladiator caught up with them again. Isabelle ran ahead a few feet while Keith traded blows with the gladiator, eventually shoving it aside in a different direction and running to catch up with Isabelle.

The gladiator caught up with them again in the lower levels of the castle. Keith turned to fight it again, but wound up being thrown towards an airlock. Isabelle turned to call out to Keith, eyes widening when she saw the airlock open, and Lance trapped inside. He banged his fists against the glass and yelled for them.

“Lance!” Isabelle yelled, confused. “What are you—How did you get in there?”

“What are you doing in there?” Keith asked, turning to look at Lance. Lance yelped as the gladiator turned to attack Keith again. Isabelle growled under her breath, rushing forward to draw the gladiator’s attention.

“I need help!” Lance called. “Because if you don’t get me out of here right now, I’m going to be sucked out into space!”

“Keith, help him!” Isabelle exclaimed immediately. “I got the gladiator.”

Isabelle swung at the gladiator again, ducking under its blade when it blocked her strike. She took a step to the side, spinning behind it and drawing it away from the airlock so Keith could work to get it open.

“Brace yourself!” Keith called to her as he pressed the button to open the airlock.

Isabelle ducked under another attack from the gladiator, shoving it towards the open airlock. The gladiator was sucked out of the airlock into space. Lance, inside the airlock, held onto the wall for dear life. Keith and Isabelle scrambled to find purchase against the door, holding themselves inside.

“Keith! Keith come on!” Lance yelled, reaching for Keith. Keith stretched forward, reaching for Lance, but they could not get hold of each other.

Isabelle frowned, but then wrapped her arms around Keith’s torso as he stretched again, allowing him to shift forward and move farther out. He managed to grab Lance’s arm, pulling him towards the door. Isabelle gripped Keith tightly, digging her heels into the floor, bending her knees, and pulling both of them with all her strength.

Lance stumbled into the hallway, Keith pressed the button to close the airlock, and Isabelle let Keith down, all three of them collapsing unceremoniously into a heap on the floor. Isabelle sat with her back to the wall, leaning her head back against it, breathing heavily. Keith and Lance sat on the floor off to her side, also panting. _What the hell was that?_ Isabelle wondered. _First the gladiator goes rogue, then Lance gets stuck in the airlock. Is something wrong with the castle? Coran said he needed to reboot some systems but it can’t really be this bad, can it?_

“What were you doing out there?” Keith demanded after a moment, turning to Lance.

“What was that guy?” Lance asked, leaning closer to Keith.

“He was trying to kill us!” Keith exclaimed, gesturing to Isabelle.

“Well is he the castle? Because that’s who’s trying to kill me!” Lance replied. Keith and Lance stared at each other for a moment, eyes wide, before they both leapt to their feet and made to run away, yelling.

“Hold up!” Isabelle yelled, scrambling to her feet and reaching for the backs of their shirts to hold them back. “If the castle is malfunctioning because Coran needs to reboot it, there’s no need to run around like chickens without heads!”

“Yeah, okay,” Keith grumbled.

“I still think it’s haunted!” Lance exclaimed, looking around suspiciously.

“Be that as it may, let’s head back upstairs, yeah?” Isabelle offered, glancing between them and raising an eyebrow. Keith and Lance both nodded, and the three of them hurried up to the bridge.

“Have any of you seen Hunk, or Pidge?” Coran asked, running down the hall to catch up to them.

“No,” Isabelle said slowly. “We were just coming to see you.”

“I think I heard Pidge say she was going to the lab earlier? In the Green Lion’s hangar?” Lance offered. Coran hummed as if considering this information, and took off in the direction of the hangar, leaving Isabelle, Lance, and Keith scrambling to follow him.

As they opened the doors to the lab, Isabelle caught sight of Pidge, Hunk, and their various equipment falling from the air. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking between Pidge and Hunk’s surprised expressions. Lance, however, marched into the hangar.

“How can you guys be taking a nap while this castle is trying to kill us?” he asked as they entered the hangar.

“Taking a nap?” Hunk echoed, slowly rising to his feet and rubbing his head. “We’ve been floating around in Zero-G! You know how scary that is?”

“That’s not scary! That’s fun! I was almost ejected into space!” Lance exclaimed, pointing towards the entrance of the hangar.

“I got attacked by killer food, and that’s the most horrifying thing you can imagine!” Hunk responded, gesturing with his hands. “The stuff of nightmares! It’ll haunt me to my grave!”

“Well Isabelle and I had a robot trying to kill us!” Keith added.

“I don’t care what you say, Coran. This castle has gone apples and bananas,” Lance said, turning to Coran.

“Perhaps the infection from Sendak’s crystal is worse than we thought,” Coran said, making a face and groaning in frustration. Isabelle scrunched her face, pursing her lips.

“Well, let’s get rid of it,” Hunk suggested.

“It’s too late,” Coran replied. “When Sendak plugged it into the ship, it corrupted the entire system.

“Sendak…Wait, has anyone seen Shiro?” Keith asked suddenly.

“Oh no,” Isabelle murmured, eyes widening. “He must have stayed down there…”

“We have to go get him!” Keith exclaimed, already turning and running from the hangar.

Isabelle followed after him, hearing the others follow suit behind her. She and Keith rushed down to the cryo-freeze pods, pausing to wait for the others only so Coran could open the door. Isabelle caught sight of Shiro leaning against one of the pods, one hand over his face, and rushed forward.

“Shiro…” Isabelle said gently, stepping forward to gingerly lay a hand on his shoulder. Shiro jumped slightly, looking up at her with almost wild eyes for a second before he relaxed, if only slightly. 

“Shiro! Are you okay?” Pidge asked, coming up behind Isabelle.

“Where’s Sendak?” Keith asked.

“I…I had to get him out of here,” Shiro said quietly. His metal hand still lay on his face, and his eyes were still wide and unfocused. He looked more shaken than Isabelle had ever seen him in her life, and it set her on edge, tying an anxious knot in the pit of her stomach. Isabelle took a deep breath, squeezing Shiro’s shoulder.

“I was hearing his voice!” Shiro exclaimed. “He…He can’t be trusted on this ship.” Shiro deflated, slumping against the pod.

“It is the ship! I got stuck in a cryo-pod, then in an airlock. Keith and Isabelle got attacked by a robot. Hunk and Pidge got attacked by _food,”_ Lance explained. “It’s been a weird morning.”

A monitor blinked to life behind them, beeping. They all turned to look at the large screen; it glowed red and showed the castle moving across a map in space.

“What? How is that possible?” Coran wondered aloud.

“What is it?” Keith asked.

“The ship is starting a wormhole jump!” Coran explained. All of them rushed up to the bridge then, finding Allura at the control panel of the ship. Her hair was loose, falling in waves down her back, and she wore a nightgown.

“Allura, what’s going on?” Shiro demanded as they entered.

“We’re going to Altea,” Allura said, turning to face them. “We’re going home. My father is taking us.”

_Altea was destroyed. King Alfor is dead! The only thing we have is…his AI in the ship! It must have been corrupted too,_ Isabelle thought with mounting horror. She shared a wide-eyed, panicked look with Shiro before they rushed forward.

“Stay away from my daughter!” King Alfor’s voice sounded suddenly over the castle’s PA system, his image appearing on all the monitors in the bridge. Isabelle jumped, and they all skittered to a stop.

“Allura, wake up!” Shiro called.

“The crystal must have corrupted Alfor’s artificial intelligence,” Coran said. “It’s taking over!” 

Isabelle nodded frantically, looking between all the monitors displaying King Alfor’s face, scrunched into an angry grimace. A holographic image of King Alfor appeared next to Allura as she guided the castle. A blue holographic barrier formed suddenly around the control panel. In a flash of light, they were out of the wormhole, heading for a fiery, unstable star.

“We’re headed straight for a star and it’s about to explode!” Pidge exclaimed.

_We’re going to die!_ Isabelle thought, almost hysterically, as she stared down the volatile star. _This is it! This is how we go out! The Balmera was wrong, I didn’t change the universe. We didn’t stop Zarkon, we’re about to die in a painful, fiery explosion._

“Father, I can see Altea,” Allura said softly, a whimsical edge to her voice.

“Allura! Allura, wake up! What you’re seeing isn’t real!” Coran exclaimed, pressing his face against the barrier in front of the control panel. “Allura please, you’ve got to listen to me!”

“Is this real?” Allura asked, bringing up a hand as if she was holding something in it.

“Of course, it is real, daughter,” the hologram of King Alfor answered. “That flower you’re touching is real.”

“But where is the fragrance of the sweet juniberries?” Coran asked. Allura brought her hand to her face, sniffing delicately. She gasped and stood frozen for a moment, as if finally coming out of whatever trance the AI had put her in.

“That’s not Altea,” Allura said, staring out at the exploding star before the ship.

“When that star goes supernova, it will destroy the entire system!” Pidge exclaimed. “Allura you must reset the course and get us out of here!”

Allura nodded, rushing towards the control panel to change course. Electricity sparked across the controls, shocking Allura. She gasped in pain and was sent flying backwards, outside the barrier. Shiro lunged forward to catch her, steadying her. The holographic form of King Alfor appeared again in front of the controls.

“Father please, I beg you to turn the ship around,” Allura said, pressing her hands against the blue barrier. “If you don’t do it soon, we will all perish!”

“I know. That is my intention,” the hologram of King Alfor replied.

“What? Why?” Allura demanded.

“Don’t you see, dear daughter? Zarkon can never be defeated. He’s been ruling for ten thousand years,” the hologram of King Alfor said, his holographic form glitching.

“But we must continue to fight!” Allura exclaimed.

“Fight for what? It is all over for Altea,” the hologram of King Alfor replied. “You don’t have to live a lifetime of war. You can be with me and the rest of your people.”

“Father, please! The paladins and I can still stop Zarkon!” Allura exclaimed. “Somewhere in there, you must want that to happen.”

“Allura, my AI has been corrupted! You must disconnect my power source!” the hologram of King Alfor said suddenly, appearing alarmed and urgent. The hologram glitched again, and King Alfor reappeared, standing calmly in front of them.

“We can stroll across the Blossom Canyon every morning, just like we used to,” he said to Allura. “Remember how much you loved that?”

“I remember. I’ll see you soon, father,” Allura said. Isabelle turned to look at Allura, her eyes wide. Allura turned to face them all, determined. “I’ve got to get to the AI chamber to disconnect my father’s power source manually.”

“But that means losing King Alfor forever,” Coran said. Isabelle made a face.

“It also means we don’t fly into a supernova and explode!” she snapped.

“Paladins, get to your lions. I need you to slow the castle’s descent into the star,” Allura said, rushing out of the room.

“I can try to override the system to open the hangars,” Coran said, rushing to another control panel.

Coran’s manual override worked, and soon the paladins took off in their lions. Isabelle paced back and forth across the bridge, anxiously running her hands through her hair. The barrier at the control panel glitched suddenly, before it and the hologram of King Alfor disappeared.

“She did it,” Coran said softly, looking down. Isabelle nodded, stopping in her tracks and biting her bottom lip. The monitors at the control panel flickered to life, showing maps and blaring alarms. Coran rushed over to them, retaking control of the ship. Allura appeared on the bridge a moment later, taking the controls.

“Paladins, get to your hangars. We’re getting out of here,” Allura said via radio comms with the lions.

Once they were safely inside the castle, Allura opened another wormhole, flying into it and letting them out far away from the impending supernova. Allura stepped down from the controls suddenly, sinking to the floor and sitting there. Coran walked over, sitting beside her. Isabelle hovered nearby, not wanting to interrupt. The paladins trickled in after another few minutes, slowly sitting around Allura.

“I’m so sorry about your father, princess,” Shiro said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

“We all are,” Hunk added.

“Thank you,” Allura said, smiling softly as she looked around at each of them before standing up. “But that was not my father. The real King Alfor was a great man and a great father. He may not be here with us anymore, but his dream lives on through all of us, and his legacy is Voltron.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Later that day found everyone gathered on the bridge again. Isabelle had showered and changed after her and Keith’s fight with the gladiator. Allura had also changed into her dress, leaving her hair loose. Pidge was sitting at a monitor, typing rapidly and sifting through Sendak’s memories that had been collected before he was ejected from the ship. The others stood nearby, wearing the clothes they had left Earth with, which were quickly becoming the only clothes they wore when not in their armor.

“Somewhere inside Sendak’s memories we should be able to find the inside information that gives us the key to take down Zarkon,” Allura said, smiling triumphantly.

“I don’t think your father would approve of searching through an enemy’s memories,” Coran commented. Isabelle bit her lip, flailing her hands slightly in front of her, and sharing an exasperated look with Shiro. _Does anyone actually listen when I say these things?_ She wondered. _Or do you all just brush me off and then decide later that maybe I had a point? How long have I been saying this was a bad idea?_

“There’s actually laws against stuff like this on Earth,” Isabelle said dryly.

“I know, but we have to do everything we can to defeat Zarkon,” Allura replied.

“Once we learn all his weaknesses, we could just drive up to his front door and challenge him to a fight,” Lance said, punching one fist into an open hand. “Winner gets the universe.”

“Lance,” Isabelle said, blinking slowly. “I cannot stress enough how much of a bad idea that is.”

“Anything good yet, Pidge?” Shiro asked.

“We were only able to salvage bits and pieces,” Pidge replied. Keith sighed.

“We need something to work with,” he said. “Right now, we don’t even have a decent map of the empire.”

“Who needs a map?” Lance asked. “After ten thousand years of conquering, I could probably fire my bayard at like, any random point in space and hit a Galra ship.”

“If we could just find troop locations, or supply routes…” Shiro said, trailing off and glancing over at Isabelle.

“Small targets, things we could hit and run,” Isabelle added. “We could free planets one by one. Build up a…a network of free people and planets and rebels that are fighting against Zarkon, and get them to communicate with each other.”

“We could build a coordinated resistance network,” Shiro said.

“Yes!” Isabelle exclaimed. “We could gain support for a resistance against Zarkon, and build that network by freeing planets individually. Taking out supply routes would structurally weaken the empire, giving us a better chance to fight them. And knowing where troop locations were would help us coordinate larger attacks once we have more support from freed planets who wanted to fight, or other freedom fighters—" 

“Boring,” Lance interrupted in a sing-song voice. “I want the big kaboom!”

“Zarkon’s been building his empire for ten thousand years,” Shiro replied.

“We’re not going to be able to tear it down overnight,” Isabelle added with a pointed look at Lance. “Not with five pilots inexperienced with operating Voltron and one support ship. We have to be smart about this.”

“Hitting him where he lives would be a huge mistake,” Shiro said.

“Okay! I’ve cross-referenced Sendak’s memories with the info I got from the downed ship back on Arus,” Pidge said suddenly. Everyone paused, turning to look at her. Hunk knelt next to the chair Pidge was sitting in to look over at her holographic monitor. “Most of it was a garbled mess, but one thing kept repeating. Something called a Universal Station.”

“Universal Station?” Hunk echoed, leaning forward to look at Pidge’s screen. “Like, the kind of station that controls the entire universe?”

“Well, we are translating from Galra, so it could also be Galactic Hub,” Pidge muttered, gently pushing Hunk out of the way to get back to her screen.

“Or Space Base!” Lance added with a finger gun gesture, smirking. Shiro turned and raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

“I’m pulling up the location of your Universal Hub Station Base on our screens now,” Coran said as he turned to do so, displaying a system of three planets on the big screen. There was nothing visible between the planets, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about them. Isabelle narrowed her eyes. _Something’s there. But where? Is it on one of the planets? A ship based somewhere between them and cloaked?_ She wondered. _And what is it? A Universal Base or Galactic Hub sounds…important. Is it a base of operations? Did we just…accidentally find the Galra Imperial base?_

“So…where is it?” Lance asked after a long moment.

“I don’t know,” Coran replied. “Our long-range sensors are unable to find anything at those coordinates.”

“Maybe he remembered it wrong,” Keith suggested. Isabelle frowned slightly, glancing at Shiro, who looked skeptical, studying the three-planet system.

“Or maybe we just stumbled across a top-secret base in Sendak’s memories,” Pidge said.

“I think so,” Isabelle added quietly.

“Only one way to find out. Let’s go take a look,” Allura said. Isabelle knit her eyebrows, turning to look at Allura.

“Let’s be careful about it, yeah?” Isabelle said. “I thought we just agreed that marching up to Zarkon’s front door with no support, while the empire’s still at full strength, was a terrible idea? And we have no idea what’s out there. It could very well be Zarkon’s central command base, in which case…It’s kind of his front door. We can’t afford to get caught doing this.”

“We only need to get close enough to get within range of the sensors,” Coran said. Isabelle pursed her lips, nodding once.

Coran adjusted the castle’s course to fly towards the coordinates Pidge had found. He told them it would be a while before they were within range to scan the area with the castle’s sensors, and the group began to disperse. Isabelle found herself wandering into the lounge, pausing at the doorway. Lance sat on one of the couches quietly, his stillness a far cry from his usually energetic, outgoing, and goofy personality. Isabelle knit her eyebrows, slowly walking over.

“Hey, Lance?” she asked softly, standing next to the couch he sat on. Lance looked up at her with a dejected, thoughtful look, and Isabelle sat down next to him “Everything alright?”

“I guess….” Lance said softly, trailing off. “I guess I just miss home sometimes, you know? Earth. Coran told me once that we’re like, _billions_ of lightyears away and it’s…weird.”

“Yeah, it is pretty weird,” Isabelle agreed.

“I miss my mom, you know?” Lance continued. Isabelle nodded, content to let Lance talk out his feelings. “My mom gives the best hugs, okay. And I miss my brothers and sisters, and my _t_ _í_ _os_ , and my _abuela_ , and—” Lance cut off with a sniffling cry. Isabelle bit back a whine and opened her arms, offering Lance a hug. Lance all but lunged at her, hugging her tightly.

“You miss your home,” Isabelle whispered, her voice wavering. “It’s okay. It’s okay to miss your family. I miss mine too. We’ll…We’ll see them again when this is done.”

“We will?” Lance asked, his voice small. Isabelle felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and she nodded furiously. _We will. I promise. We’ll get through this and I’ll do everything I can to get everyone home to their families,_ Isabelle thought.

“Yeah,” Isabelle replied. “We’ll get home, and you’ll get to cook with your _abuela_ again, or have her smack your hand with the wooden spoon when you pick something out of the pot while she’s cooking—” Lance laughed.

“Oh man, my _abuela_ really did that. She’d smack my brother Luis all the time, he was the worst about it. She’d be making _arroz con pollo_ or _ropa vieja_ and he’d just, stick his finger into the pot and taste it. And _abuela_ would smack his hand with the spoon,” Lance said, pulling back from the hug and wiping his eyes. Isabelle smiled.

“My brother Juan Carlos does the same thing. Or he’ll help _abuelita_ or my dad make _tostones_ , right? Except he’d eat about half of them while they’re making them. I can’t wait for him to deal with his daughter doing that, because I’m sure she will,” Isabelle said, snickering.

“You have a niece?” Lance asked, slightly incredulous. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“My brother’s three years older than me. His daughter’s name is Annalisa and…” Isabelle trailed off, biting her bottom lip. “She was actually born on the day we left Earth.”

“Oh man,” Lance said softly. “I mean, I have a niece and nephew too. I’m the youngest sibling so…Hey, does everyone congregate in your kitchen and start dancing too? Or was that just me? Because my dad used to play salsa music all the time, and—”

Isabelle interrupted Lance’s rambling with a laugh. Lance grinned at her and she laughed harder, nodding and gesturing with her hands. She waved a hand at Lance, pulling her phone from her pocket—her phone from Earth, she had been wondering if there was a way to connect it to a power source in the castle, if they were compatible—and started scrolling through her music. Lance joined in her laughter when Isabelle turned up the volume of a playlist she had made of her own dad’s music.

“Okay so are our dads just the same people, or…?” Lance trailed off, snickering. He fell quiet for a long moment, letting the music play from Isabelle’s phone. Isabelle frowned as the sadness seemed to seep back into him, and she set her phone aside, still playing music, and rested a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

“We’ll see them again, Lance, our families,” she said seriously. “The best thing we can do for them right now, is to keep at what we’re doing. We’re doing this whole saving the universe thing to protect them. And when we’re done—because we will beat Zarkon—we’ll go home and see them again, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Lance muttered. Isabelle pursed her lips.

“You know what we can do in the meantime, though? When we miss them and we feel like this?” she asked. Lance raised an eyebrow at her.

Isabelle smirked, reaching to crank up the volume on her phone even more. She stood, moving into the middle of the lounge. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and shook it out dramatically, drawing a short laugh from Lance. Isabelle turned to face him, singing along in Spanish to the music as she started swaying in time to it. Lance started nodding his head and murmuring the words to the song. Isabelle grinned, drawing one foot in a swirling pattern on the floor before stepping suddenly to the side, shifting her hips to move weight onto and off that foot before stepping again, dancing in earnest. She danced by herself for a few moments before turning fully around to face Lance, brushing her hair from her face as she did.

“So, can you dance? Or was everyone _else_ dancing in your _abuela’s_ kitchen?” she asked, feeling an accent creep into her voice as she shifted to speaking English from having been singing the Spanish song playing on her phone. Lance gasped, pressing a hand to his chest.

“I’m Cuban! Of course, I can dance!” he exclaimed, making an offended face.

“Then get over here and prove it!” Isabelle laughed, making a face back at him and gesturing for him to get up.

Isabelle hurried back to the couch, grabbing at Lance’s arms. Lance laughed, allowing himself to be hauled to his feet. He then pulled his hands free, clapping to the beat of the music as he slowly started to dance. For a few minutes, and another song on Isabelle’s playlist, they solo-salsa danced next to each other. Lance hummed suddenly, sticking his hands out to Isabelle.

“Come on, Captain! Once, just for fun?” he asked, smiling brightly. Isabelle smirked, nodding, as she took Lance’s hands. Lance cheered, grinning. Isabelle laughed, bending her knees dramatically to make up for their height difference and duck under Lance’s arm when he made an attempt to spin her around. Lance grumbled at her, but joined in her laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“We should be close enough to get a good scan, but far enough away to avoid being noticed,” Allura said. Isabelle nodded, resting her chin on one hand. Coran had gathered everyone on the bridge once again as they approached the three-planet star system they had located in Sendak’s memories.

“There it is,” Shiro said as the ship flew around the side of one of the planets to the space between the three.

A small rocky asteroid was in-between them, and Isabelle guessed it remained in place somehow due to the gravitational effects of the other three larger planets. Large loading docks for Galra ships had been built on the planet, surrounding a building much smaller in comparison. Four or so huge Galra battle cruisers hovered around the station, landing or waiting to land. Isabelle pursed her lips. _Not Zarkon’s front door, then,_ she thought. _But this station is clearly important somehow. What happens here? Is it some sort of central supply stop?_

“It appears the gravitation between the two planets warps the electron emission spectrum enough to keep the planet off the deep space scanners,” Coran explained as he scanned the area and several holographic maps appeared on the screen.

“So, you can only see it if you really know where to look,” Pidge said.

“This place must handle shipments from all over the Galra Empire,” Shiro said from where he sat, looking at the monitors in front of Allura’s control panel. Isabelle stood behind him, staring between the screens.

“If this is just some big airport where shipments come and go, why is it hidden?” Pidge asked.

“There must be more to this than we’re seeing,” Shiro replied.

“Then we’d better go down to take a look,” Allura said. She pulled up an image of the hub on the large screen, zooming in on one tower near the top. “We’ll need to enter here, the central control building.”

“I’m sorry, Princess, did you say _we?”_ Keith asked, turning his head to look at Allura.

“I’m going with you. I’ve travelled through the Galra transportation hubs many times with my father before the war began.” Allura explained. “I know more about them than any of you.”

Isabelle frowned. _That was ten thousand years ago. How can we be sure they’re designed the same way now? It seems highly unlikely they still use the same technology. What, exactly, do you know for sure? You’ve been asleep a long time and things can change drastically in that amount of time, Allura,_ Isabelle thought, glaring slightly.

“Princess, I’d rather you stay here,” Coran said, turning to face Allura with a worried look.

“I’m a part of this fight against Zarkon as much as anyone. I’m going. Does anyone have a problem with that?” Allura snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

Isabelle bit the inside of her lip, while everyone else suddenly looked sheepish. Lance whistled innocently, turning away. Hunk scratched the back of his head and looked down. Keith said nothing, looking away, and Pidge hummed to herself, tapping a finger against her chin. Coran stammered, looking between Isabelle and Shiro. Isabelle glanced at Shiro, who shrugged.

“Fine. Suit up,” he said.

Coran groaned, casting a look at Shiro. Hunk, Lance, Pidge, and Keith all turned sharply to look at him with confusion in their faces, while Allura smiled softly, the picture of innocence. Isabelle pulled a face, put turned and left the bridge to change into her armor, hastily tying her hair into a low bun as she did.

* * *

“We’ll go in low, fast, and hopefully undetected,” Shiro said via comms as the group headed towards their hangars. “Coming around the dark side of the nearest planet should keep them from getting a visual on us. Thanks to Pidge’s modifications to the Green Lion, we’ll have 30 seconds of cloaking.”

“I can flood their short-range sensors with a radiation burst,” Coran explained. “That should buy you a minute or so, while they assume it’s cosmic interference. But after that it’s up to you to be out of sight.”

“My cloaking on the fighter jet tends to last longer; I can turn it on and off,” Isabelle added. “So, I can fly around the perimeter and do some reconnaissance, get more of a feel for the place. The jet is also Galra, so if it reads on their sensors, it’s not as much of a problem.”

Pidge flew the others, plus Allura, in the Green lion, and Isabelle took off in her jet. flying around the dark side of the planet closest to where the castle had approached. Pidge landed on a nearby moon. Isabelle, still cloaked, flew her jet in closer, skirting the edges of the station and sighing in relief as a few other jets hovered nearby or flew through the entrances of the station. There appeared to be only the one entrance and exit to the station, and the rest of the planet was rocky and barren.

“All clear, thanks to Coran’s radiation burst,” Isabelle said, noting a spot on the far side of the central control building. “You see that spot, at the bottom the cliff on the far side of the central control building?”

“Yeah, I see it,” Pidge replied.

“Looks like a good spot to land, yeah?” Isabelle suggested.

“Roger that, Capta—Isabelle,” Pidge replied.

The landing spot put them behind the central control building. They quietly left the Green Lion, darting across the open space to the back door of the tower, ducking to hide beside the doors on either side. Isabelle and Shiro leaned against the wall on opposite sides of the door, and Isabelle nodded slightly at him before glancing around. There was only one guard there, and when Isabelle looked back at Shiro, she gestured one finger. Shiro nodded. Isabelle heard faint footsteps as the guard approached, and gestured everyone to lean back against the wall. The guard walked forward to the entrance, passing their hiding spot. Isabelle looked to Shiro, then glanced at the guard. Shiro nodded once, and both of them made to approach. The guard turned, but Isabelle quickly hit him in the back of the head with the butt of her laser gun. Shiro caught him as he fell, and the two dragged him off to the side as the other paladins rushed forward and into the building.

Inside, there was an elevator at the end of the hall. Shiro hit the elevator button to take them to the top floor of the building and the doors closed. Isabelle bounced on the balls of her feet anxiously. Shiro glanced around, his shoulders tense. Pidge and Hunk stood together on one side, both fidgeting nervously. Keith tapped his foot on the floor, arms crossed. Allura stood quietly, hands folded in front of her. Lance looked around, stretching his arms overhead, whistling softly, and humming a catchy tune under his breath.

“Are you…?” Isabelle trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to place the tune. “Are you humming elevator music?”

“…I might be,” Lance said, snickering. Keith rolled his eyes. Hunk laughed. Pidge rolled her eyes, snickering slightly before joining in Hunk’s laughter. Allura sighed, but gave a slightly confused look at him. Shiro glanced at Isabelle with a long-suffering expression, and Isabelle bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

“Lance,” Isabelle said seriously. “Lance, this is a serious mission.”

“Focus everyone,” Shiro added with a stern look at the paladins.

They sobered immediately, standing up straight and reaching for their weapons as the elevator door slid open silently. The control room was at the end of the hall, and there were only three people inside. Shiro and Isabelle entered first, quietly, the others following behind them with weapons at the ready. The guard closest to them yawned loudly as Shiro and Isabelle stood behind him.

“Pssst,” Shiro whispered. Isabelle bit her lip hard to stifle a laugh.

“Psst, hey,” Isabelle whispered to him. The guard jumped slightly, turning to face them. “Hi.”

Shiro activated his robotic arm, and it glowed purple as he punched the guard, sending him halfway across the room, tumbling at the feet of the other two. Lance and Hunk fired a few shots at the other guards before they had time to react, then set to dragging them off to the side, out of the way. Pidge and Shiro knelt near the control panel; Pidge had a laptop open to work on, and was wiring it to Shiro’s robotic arm. Hunk was wiring the laptop to the control panel. Keith, Lance, and Isabelle stood watch.

“How’s it look out there?” Shiro asked.

“All clear,” Keith replied. Isabelle hummed slightly in agreement.

“This shouldn’t take too long,” Hunk commented as he finished working on the control panel and stood up.

“We’ll have all the information we need in a few minutes. Hunk and I have made some improvements since the last time I tried to download Galra info. We should get a nice, clean translation immediately. Hunk had a great idea how to do it,” Pidge explained, typing on her laptop. Allura stood behind her, watching over her shoulder. Isabelle pulled a face, narrowing her eyes at Allura.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you guys remember when we studied algorithms at the Garrison? And Mr. York told us that joke about the ghost learning symbolic logic and innumerably infinite sets?” Hunk asked, laughing slightly.

“Boring!” Lance interrupted.

“Right, yeah, totally. It was boring,” Hunk replied. “Anyway, the joke goes—”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I think we’ve got company,” Keith said as a battle cruiser approached, landing at the closest loading bay to the control building. The shadow of the huge ship passed over the control building, and everyone ducked low, hiding under or behind the control panels.

“Think we should get out of here?” Keith asked, crouching beside Pidge.

“We just need a few more seconds,” Pidge replied.

“Stay low, we need this intel,” Shiro said.

The computer beeped suddenly, opening a video call. Isabelle swore under her breath, diving under the control panel nearby as a Galra soldier appeared on the video call. He made a small, confused sound when no one answered the call.

“He’s still looking,” Lance whispered. “I think he’s waiting for a signal or something.” _Lance what the fuck? He can still hear you!_ Isabelle thought, glaring at Lance and motioning for him to be quiet.

“I got it,” Hunk said. Isabelle rolled her eyes, groaning internally as Hunk army-crawled over to prop up one of the guards they had knocked out. Hunk directed the unconscious guard to nod in a jerky motion, giving a few vague hand gestures and a thumbs up. The guard on the other side of the video call gave a wave and hung up. Hunk sighed in relief.

“Nice job, Hunk,” Lance said, standing up to give Hunk a high five.

“Okay, download complete,” Pidge said suddenly. Hunk and Lance turned to kneel next to her.

“What’s it say?” Keith asked.

“Nothing,” Pidge replied. “This place doesn’t have any useful information.”

“What?” Isabelle asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“It’s just a schedule of the ships coming in and out,” Pidge said.

“Well, I guess this mission was a bust,” Lance commented.

“Let’s get back to the castle,” Shiro suggested.

“Hold on!” Allura exclaimed, gesturing to one of the ships on the schedule. “Pidge, do you know where that ship is headed?”

“Uh, it’s scheduled to be here for about a half hour, then head off to Central Command,” Pidge replied.

“Central Command?” Isabelle echoed. _Zarkon’s base of operations, Central Command? Imperial headquarters, Central Command? It sounds like it,_ Isabelle thought.

“That’s where they have the information we need, and I’m going to sneak aboard that ship and get it for us,” Allura said determinedly, standing up. Isabelle’s eyes widened.

“Allura!” she exclaimed. “You can’t. It’s way too dangerous.”

“What? No way!” Lance added.

“How are you going to get in?” Keith asked.

“I’m going to walk right through the front.” Allura smiled, taking off her helmet. Suddenly, Allura’s skin began to change from its usual rich brown to the blue-purple that they had seen among the Galra, and she grew several inches in height, towering over them all. _What the hell?_ Isabelle thought. _How…How does that happen?_

“How the heck did you do that?” Hunk asked.

“The Alteans are a chameleon-like people that can blend in with the local populations. It’s the ability that’s made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history,” Allura explained.

“So, you can shapeshift?” Isabelle asked. Allura nodded, smiling.

“So, can you turn into like, a balloon?” Lance asked.

“How many different colors can you be at once?” Pidge asked.

“Aren’t you afraid to rip your pants?” Hunk asked.

“No. Just one at a time. And I will need a change of costume. I can use his uniform as a disguise,” Allura said, looking towards the Galra soldier Hunk had propped up to wave off the video call.

“I can’t let you go in there alone,” Shiro said suddenly.

“Excuse me?” Allura asked, whirling to give Shiro a withering glare. “I do _not_ need your permission.”

“It’s too dangerous, I’m going with you,” Shiro clarified, stepping forward.

_“You_ will stick out like a Choferiak’s nose,” Allura replied.

“You’re going to need that nose, Princess,” Pidge added, grabbing Shiro’s robotic hand. “Shiro’s hand is made of Galra tech. It’s the only thing we have that will allow us to interface with their systems and gather intel. I can monitor the download remotely from here.”

“Fine,” Allura sighed. “You can come.”

“Uh, you guys better hurry up if you want to get on and off before the ship leaves for ZArkon central,” Hunk said.

“Shiro,” Isabelle called hesitantly as he and Allura made to leave. “Do you want me to—?”

“No,” Shiro said, placing a hand on Isabelle’s shoulder. “I need you here. If things go wrong, they need someone to take charge, to be a leader,” Shiro whispered. Isabelle nodded once.

“Be careful,” Isabelle told him. Shiro nodded, giving a small half-smile.

“How are you going to get Shiro on board?” Keith asked Allura. Allura and Shiro turned and stared at each other for a moment.

“We’ll figure it out,” Shiro replied. Isabelle raised an eyebrow. _That certainly inspired confidence,_ she thought.

“Be careful,” Isabelle repeated, looking at Shiro. Shiro nodded once more, giving a reassuring smile as he and Allura left the control room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge remained in the control room of the tower. Isabelle watched as Allura walked towards the cruiser with a large floating cart that, presumably, Shiro was hiding in. Two guards stopped them at the entrance ramp of the ship, making space for three other guards to exit, pushing large containers of something that glowed with a golden light. _What is that? Where did it come from? Why is it being moved here?_ Isabelle wondered.

“They’re in,” Lance said as Allura was allowed to move up the ramp and onto the ship.

“What do you think they have in all those giant containers?” Keith asked. Isabelle shrugged.

“Well I suspect that it’s sporks,” Hunk said. Lance and Keith glanced at each other before turning confused looks on Hunk. Isabelle raised an eyebrow at him.

“This is an advanced race we’re talking about here. Surely, they’ve learned that it’s foolish to have forks _and_ spoons when one tool will efficiently do the job,” Hunk explained.

“I’m not going to dispute that,” Isabelle said. “But I doubt the Galra have such a high demand for glowing gold sporks.”

“Maybe this guy will tell us,” Pidge said suddenly. Isabelle turned to look back to her where she sat cross-legged on the floor with her laptop. She had attached cables to the laptop and the sentry, and had apparently hacked into it. “What is coming in and out of this station?”

“Interrogation detected. Initiating lockdown,” the sentry said, and its head fell down against its chest as the robot powered down.

“Not talking, eh?” Pidge asked slyly, before leaning forward and typing on her laptop, presumably to get past the sentry’s lockdown protocol.

“Whoa, check out this guy,” Keith murmured, turning back to the window. Isabelle turned to follow his gaze. A tall figure, obscured in a dark cloak, had joined the guards on the ground in front of the large, glowing containers. “Whatever’s happening here that requires the base to be kept secret must have something to do with that scary dude.”

“But who is that scary dude?” Isabelle asked, thinking aloud. “Why are they here? What’s all this stuff in the glowing containers? And why is it so important to need so much…cloak and dagger. Literally.”

“I don’t know. But I’m gonna go check it out,” Keith replied, getting up and turning towards the door.

“How about we just lay low and you don’t blow our cover?” Lance suggested. Keith ignored his words, stalking past him. Isabelle narrowed her eyes. _Is it worth it to let him go, if we find out what this is? Should I stop him or should I go with him?_ She thought.

“Keith, think about what you’re doing,” Lance continued. “Don’t go through that door!”

Keith continued to ignore him, and the automatic doors opened to let Keith pass and closed quickly behind him. Lance sighed, and Isabelle rolled her eyes. Lance put his hands on his hips, turning to look at Pidge, who had turned to stare at Lance.

“I think I told him,” Lance said, smirking.

“You are a paragon of leadership, Lance,” Pidge said dryly. Isabelle snickered, walking a little way’s away from the group and opening a radio comm line through her helmet to Keith.

“Keith? Keith, do you hear me?” she asked.

“I hear you,” Keith replied after a moment. “Don’t even start about recklessness and responsibility and thinking about what I’m doing, or—”

“I was just going to tell you to be careful,” Isabelle interrupted. “We need to find out what’s in those containers. Pidge is working on the sentry to see if she can get it to talk, but if she can’t, you’ll be able to find out something more if you can get down there. Be smart, stay safe, and _be careful_ …And call me if you need backup.”

“I-Okay. Roger that,” Keith replied. Isabelle smiled to herself, nodding once before hanging up.

Hunk and Pidge continued to work with the sentry. Pidge typed on her laptop, trying to override the lockdown the robot had put itself into. Hunk toyed with the cables, eventually connecting two that gave him control over one of its arms. Hunk laughed, connecting the wires and disconnecting them to make the sentry smack itself in the head. Isabelle scoffed a laugh, shaking her head fondly.

“Hey, why are you hitting yourself?” Hunk asked. “Stop hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself!”

“Stop torturing it, Hunk,” Pidge said.

“I’m sorry, I just—I need something to keep me busy, you know? So I’m not worried about Keith getting caught, or Shiro and Allura getting blasted by robot things, or someone finding us here!” Hunk said, speaking increasingly faster. Isabelle moved to sit next to him, putting her hands over his and looking into his face.

“Hunk, look at me. Breath,” she said softly. Hunk turned to face her, his dark brown eyes wide. “Keith is more than capable. Remember how he snuck into the quarantined area of the Garrison to get Shiro out?”

“Yeah,” Hunk muttered. Isabelle nodded.

“Keith will be okay. Shiro and Allura will be okay, they’re both capable fighters, and they know the most about the Galra of any of us, so they’re more equipped to be able to sneak around one of their ships,” Isabelle continued. Hunk nodded.

“And Allura can do that shapeshifting thing to blend in,” he added.

“Exactly,” Isabelle said, smiling softly. Hunk gave a weak smile, nodding.

“Thanks, Isabelle,” he said.

“I think we can teach it to help us,” Pidge said, taking the cables Hunk had been toying with. She plugged them into her laptop, typing for another moment before lifting her head to look at it. “Would you like to help us, Mr. Robot?” The sentry lifted its head in a jerky motion before shaking it rapidly.

“Whoops,” Pidge muttered.

“Quick question,” Lance said from where he sat a few feet away, leaning back against the low podium where the control panel lay. “Does Allura talk about me when I’m not in the room?”

“Oh yeah, all the time,” Hunk replied immediately, smiling. Isabelle whirled her head around to look at him. _Wow…Didn’t know Hunk could be such a little shit,_ she thought, giving a short laugh. Hunk smiled over at her, and Isabelle smacked him on the arm lightly.

“Really?” Lance asked, sitting up suddenly, eyes wide. _Why does he want to know? Oh no. Oh he has a crush,_ Isabelle realized suddenly. 

“Yeah, yeah. She’s like _‘Oh Lance! He looks so fine! I’m all atwitter,’”_ Hunk said, badly imitating a British accent. “Then she turns red and makes me swear not to tell anyone.”

“Hunk!” Isabelle exclaimed, swatting his arm again.

“I knew it!” Lance grinned, pumping his fist into the air. Before any of them could say anything else, the sentry’s arm swung sideways suddenly, hitting Lance squarely in the shoulder and knocking him over.

“Hunk! That’s rude!” Isabelle snickered, pointing an accusatory finger at him. Then she turned to Lance. “He’s lying to you, Lance. As far as I know, Allura does not talk about you when you’re not in the room.”

“What?” Lance yelped, sitting up from where he had fallen. “No way!”

“How would you know if you’re not in the room?” Pidge asked.

“How would Isabelle know Hunk’s lying if Allura made him swear not to tell?” Lance countered. Isabelle glared at Hunk out of the corner of her eye, nodding slightly towards Lance. Hunk smirked and shook his head. Isabelle quirked an eyebrow at him, unamused, and shook her head slightly. 

“Okay Pidge, start the download,” Shiro’s voice sounded via comms suddenly.

“Generating access code,” Pidge replied, typing at her laptop. A moment later another download appeared on her screen, information written in Galra characters scrolling across the screen as a download bar appeared and began slowly loading. Isabelle took a deep breath as she watched, resting her chin on one hand. “We’re in.”

“Pidge,” Shiro said after a moment, and Isabelle could hear an alarm beeping faintly on Shiro’s end of the call. “I think there’s a problem.”

“Sit tight, I’m trying to work around this,” Pidge replied, looking at an alert that had appeared on her screen.

Pidge began typing again, and Isabelle folded her legs under herself, standing up. She walked towards the window, quickly scanning the surrounding area, then walked across the room to listen at the door for a moment, to be certain they had not been discovered.

“Pidge?” Shiro asked again after a moment.

“I’m on it, I’m on it!” Pidge said.

“Hurry up, Pidge,” Shiro whispered. Isabelle scrunched her face, frowning. _He’s whispering all of a sudden,_ she noted. _Something must be going on._

“Almost there!” Pidge replied.

“Coran! You need to see this!” Keith’s voice came in suddenly, and a live video feed from his helmet showed up in a hologram on Pidge’s screen.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Coran said.

“What is that?” Pidge asked. Isabelle walked over from the door and looked over Pidge’s shoulder at the holographic video feed. Keith was looking at a room with rows of shelves stacked with glowing gold containers like the ones they had seen being carried off the cruiser.

“The material is quintessence, the substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe,” the sentry said suddenly.

“Hey! Nice job, Pidge!” Lance exclaimed. “You made him work for us!”

“What? Impossible,” Coran said.

“Raw quintessence material is transported here from throughout the galaxy and refined into standardized Galra fuel requirements,” the sentry continued. _This is the center of a supply chain, then,_ Isabelle thought, humming quietly.

“Did you guys hear that?” Pidge asked.

“I can’t believe it! They’ve found a new way to acquire quintessence!” Coran exclaimed, though he sounded slightly worried. Isabelle scrunched her face, pursing her lips.

“Guys, I’m going to steal some of this quint-whatever,” Keith said.

“Quintessence,” Isabelle corrected. “And be careful.”

“Roger,” Keith said, then turned off his comms.

Hunk, Lance, and Isabelle sat in a loose circle around Pidge as she worked. Pidge continued typing, and after a few minutes the download was complete.

“Pidge! I need an extraction! Hurry!” Keith exclaimed suddenly.

“Pidge! Fire up the Green Lion! We’re coming in hot!” Shiro called at the same time. Isabelle rolled her eyes. _Damn, whole mission just got shot to hell, huh?_ She thought.

“Okay, lets move!” Pidge called, closing her laptop.

Isabelle nodded, and the four of them ran for the door, quickly turning down the hallway. Isabelle slammed the elevator button at the end of the hall, quickly ushering the others into the elevator, sighing when the door closed behind them. They ran from the hallway at the bottom back to where they had parked the Green Lion and Isabelle’s jet.

“Go get the others! I won’t make it to Shiro and Allura before that ship takes off!” Isabelle called to Pidge as she pulled herself into the cockpit of her jet, powering it up. “Meet me back at the castle!”

“On it!” Pidge called, pulling Hunk and Lance into the Green Lion. A moment later, they took off, and Isabelle engaged her jet’s cloaking ability before taking off as well, heading back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Pidge, scan the download from the ship,” Shiro said seriously as they walked onto the bridge after returning from the mission. “Find out where Zarkon’s central command is.”

“On it!” Pidge replied, sitting down in her seat and pulling up her holographic monitor. Hunk hovered nearby, looking over her shoulder. Isabelle stood back, next to Shiro, nervously twisting a loose strand of hair around her fingers.

“What happened? Where’s Allura?” Coran asked, rushing over to them.

“They captured her. She sacrificed herself to save me and the information. I didn’t have a choice,” Shiro said sharply. Isabelle scrunched her face, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

“How is that possible?” Coran asked, half accusatory, half afraid.

“Coran, I’m sorry things didn’t go as planned, but we can’t focus on what went wrong, we gotta figure out how to make it right,” Shiro replied, his voice taking on a slightly softer tone.

“Right now, our focus needs to be finding and rescuing Allura,” Isabelle added. “Pidge, you got anything?”

“Guys, look at this,” Pidge said, sending images to the large overhead monitor of specs for a massive ship. Isabelle’s eyes widened. _This must be Zarkon’s central command. It’s enormous. How will we know where Allura is in there? Where is it? How fast can we get there?_ Isabelle thought. _And how many troops, guards, and battle cruisers stand between us and there?_

“Look at the size of it!” Coran exclaimed.

“I think we should go in right away,” Pidge said. “Every minute we waste gives Zarkon time to prepare for us.”

“I agree. We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust our hands off, and walk away,” Lance suggested.

“There’s no way it’ll be that easy,” Isabelle said, studying the blueprint of the ship. “If this is Galra Central Command, it’ll be crawling with fighter jets, battle cruisers, and troops. And if we can get past all that to the ship, how many guards are there? And how will we know where to find Allura?”

“Yeah! Do you guys not remember the Balmera?” Hunk asked softly, looking down.

“The same one that kind of declared Isabelle like some sort of King Arthur-like legendary hero?” Lance asked, raising an eyebrow. “We got this, Hunk!”

“We could barely take out _one_ fleet,” Hunk said. “But this? A base this size could hold thousands of fleets! 

“Or maybe we shouldn’t go on this mission at all,” Keith suggested. Everyone turned to look at him, and Isabelle raised an eyebrow. “Think about it; we’ll be delivering the universe’s only hope to the universe’s biggest enemy.”

“Keith, that’s cold, even for you,” Hunk said. “What if it was one of us? What if it was me? You wouldn’t leave me, would you?”

Isabelle winced at the thought. _No. Leaving Allura, leaving anyone, behind is not an option,_ she thought, leveling a look at Keith and shaking her head minutely.

“I’m not saying I like the idea!” Keith defended. “I’m just thinking like a paladin.”

“No, you’re thinking of yourself because you’re too scared to do what’s right!” Lance exclaimed.

“Okay! We’re all upset because we lost Allura—” Pidge said.

“No! _Shiro_ lost Allura!” Coran interrupted, rounding on Shiro. Isabelle took a half-step towards Coran, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay! Okay! This isn’t helping!” Hunk called, raising his voice above the clamor. “We can’t just sit here and bicker like this.”

“Let’s refocus,” Isabelle said, looking around at all of them, glancing at Shiro and giving a small nod.

“How are we going to get Allura?” Shiro asked.

Lance pulled up the ship’s blueprints on his screen, looking for where guards would be stationed, and how many troops would be there. Isabelle leaned over his shoulder. _Guards posted at every entrance; the whole place is heavily guarded. And there’s no blind spot to sneak in, the place hovers in space so Zarkon can see every angle,_ Isabelle thought, frowning.

“Anything?” Shiro asked.

“There’s just no way in.” Lance sighed deeply.

“They’ll have us tracked from every direction,” Isabelle explained. “He can have guards at every angle with this setup; he can see everything.”

“There’s gotta be something,” Shiro said. “Keep looking.”

Isabelle made a face, but turned to look back at Lance’s monitor as Shiro drifted away from them. She glanced up to see him approach where Coran was standing alone, and she could feel the tension rolling off him in anxious waves. Isabelle heard soft, indistinct snippets of their conversation as she studied the map in front of her.

“If there was just a way to get close to Zarkon’s ship unseen,” Shiro said after a moment.

“Wait a tic, I think I’ve got a way,” Coran replied, and Isabelle’s head snapped up. Shiro must have caught the movement, as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, beckoning her over.

“This is a massive gas giant planet in Zarkon’s central command system,” Coran whispered to them, pulling up a map on a tablet. Shiro and Isabelle leaned over it. “I think we have enough of Allura’s residual essence in the castle to make one wormhole jump.”

“So, you want to jump here?” Isabelle asked, pointing at the gaseous planet on the map. “It would hide the castle from sight. Maybe even radar scanners?”

“Exactly,” Coran replied.

“And from there we can scan Zarkon’s base with the castle scanners,” Shiro said. “Find out where Allura is…”

“And attack before he even knows we’re there,” Isabelle finished. “What about getting out? We don’t have enough energy for that in the castle, do we?”

“No,” Coran said, shaking his head. “Not without Allura.”

“We’re not leaving without her, anyway,” Shiro said. Isabelle bit her lip.

“Sounds like as good of a plan as we’re going to get,” she said. Shiro nodded.

“Alright everyone, eyes front!” Isabelle called. Coran pulled up the map of Zarkon’s Central Command system on the overhead screen, highlighting the planet he had mentioned.

“We’ve got a plan to get Allura,” Shiro said. “We’re going to jump to the heart of the enemy unseen and undetected.”

“I thought we needed Allura to open up a wormhole,” Pidge said.

“It’s true that Allura powers the castle’s ability to travel through wormholes,” Coran replied. “However, I think we have enough of her residual essence stored in the system to make one jump.”

“We’ll hide the castle here,” Isabelle said, pointing out the gaseous planet Coran highlighted. “Inside one of these giant gas planets in Zarkon’s Central Command system.”

“The gas is so dense, we’ll be hidden,” Coran added.

“From there, we’ll use the castle to scan for Allura on Zarkon’s ship, and attack before Zarkon knows what hit him,” Shiro continued.

“There’s only one hiccup; we have enough energy to wormhole in, but without Allura, we won’t have enough to wormhole out,” Coran explained.

“It doesn’t matter; we’re not leaving without her,” Shiro said decisively.

At that, the group dispersed, buckling into their seats while Coran prepared for the wormhole jump. Shiro stood at his side as he did, and Isabelle sat alone in the Black Paladin’s seat. It felt strange to be there by herself. _I am not the Black Paladin, I shouldn’t sit here, not…not alone,_ she thought, shifting uncomfortably. Isabelle grimaced, groaning quietly, as a short wave of nausea washed over her during the wormhole jump that landed the castle in the middle of the giant, gaseous planet.

“We’re here,” Shiro announced seriously.

Isabelle nodded, tightening her ponytail and tucking it into a bun before putting her helmet on. Slowly, they all got up and gathered around Coran’s monitor as he scanned Zarkon’s base. A small, blinking light appeared on the overhead monitor.

“I’m detecting Allura’s energy signature,” Coran said. “From this distance, the signal’s pretty weak, but she’s somewhere on Zarkon’s main ship.”

“It gives us a starting point,” Keith said.

“Once we get closer, we’ll be able to narrow down the location where the princess is being held,” Coran added.

“Okay guys, this is it. Voltron is going to come in fast and without warning,” Shiro explained. The others turned to look at him. “We’ll smash our way into Zarkon’s ship and grab the princess. Before they know what hit them, we’ll have the princess and be on our way.”

With that, the group rushed down to their hangars for their lions. Isabelle ran to the docking bay and hopped into her jet, taking off while the group formed Voltron. She turned on her jet’s invisibility cloaking, following Voltron towards Zarkon’s main Central Command ship.

“What is that?” Hunk asked via comms as a glowing purple barrier began to form around Zarkon’s ship.

“I don’t know,” Pidge replied. “But I hope once we get to the princess, we can find a way out of here.”

“We will,” Isabelle assured them.

They flew past the barrier as it closed around them, effectively trapping them in close quarters to Zarkon’s ship. Isabelle took a deep breath, scanning the area within the barrier. Dozens of fleets were assembled, more battle cruisers they had ever seen, and a number of fighter jets Isabelle did not even want to count. She grimaced.

“They’re going to fire!” Pidge exclaimed as the cruisers took aim at Voltron.

Isabelle swore under her breath, tilting her jet into a roll to avoid the laser beams aimed at Voltron, moving to hover farther away and out of the crosshairs. Voltron shot forward, landing on one of the battle cruisers. They formed the sword and slowly sliced the cruiser in half with it before taking off again. The cruiser that had been cut through exploded, and Isabelle smirked viciously, flying forward again to shadow Voltron. They braced themselves on the side of another nearby cruiser, slowly pushing it into the ship next to it, then the one on the other side of the middle ship, causing three successive explosions.

“More trouble, straight ahead!” Lance called via comms as they continued on course towards Zarkon’s main Central Command ship.

“Form shoulder cannon!” Shiro ordered as another incoming fleet of battle cruisers opened fire on them. The multitude of freewheeling lasers that shot from the shoulder cannon took out the entire fleet of battle cruisers, leaving a clear path for them to reach Zarkon’s main ship.

“There’s Zarkon’s ship!” Shiro exclaimed as they approached.

“Remember, everyone; this is still a rescue op. We get in, we get out, and—” Isabelle cut off with a sharp yell as something tugged at the back of her mind, the vague connection she had with the Black Lion.

A dark image of a haggard face with glowing purple eyes flashed across her vision. She barely registered the others groaning and yelling over her own headache. Isabelle grimaced, bringing her hands up to her temples. She glanced over to see that Voltron froze, and their sword dissipated into the air.

“What’s going on?” Hunk asked.

“We lost the sword! Something’s malfunctioning!” Keith yelled.

“I feel it too!” Isabelle added.

“What’s happening?” Coran asked.

“Somebody, do something! Voltron’s frozen up!” Lance responded.

“Shiro!” Keith called.

“I can’t hold it!” Shiro yelled.

_You’re a fool to bring Voltron here._ A voice sounded in Isabelle’s mind. It was a deep, gravelly, menacing sound that shook Isabelle to her bones. She knew, almost instinctively, that the others heard it too. _Zarkon?_ She wondered. _But how is he doing that? And how do we make it stop?_

Voltron was still frozen, unable to move or fly or even separate into the team’s individual lions. Isabelle heard the paladins yelling over comms. Suddenly there was a bright flash of blue light, and Voltron separated into the lions again, each of them flung in a different direction. The pressure, the presence, in the back of Isabelle’s mind was suddenly gone, and she gasped for air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“What just happened there?” Hunk asked. “Something tore us apart!”

“I don’t know, but we’ve got bigger problems right now. Look!” Lance said.

Dozens of fleets of Galra fighter jets loomed to Isabelle’s right. Rows of red trails flew from more fighters as they took off from Zarkon’s main ship. Isabelle pulled a face, groaning. _We’re hopelessly outnumbered here_ , she thought.

“Why do I get the feeling these guys knew we were coming?” Keith asked.

Isabelle let out a dry, humorless chuckle. Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge took off in their lions towards the oncoming wall of fighter jets. From Zarkon’s main ship, a purple tractor beam froze Shiro and the Black Lion. Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she urged her jet forward, heading for Shiro.

She felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her head suddenly, and she barely had time to hover her fighter jet before dropping her head into her hands, groaning aloud.

“Shiro!” she called over comms. “Shiro, can you hear me?”

“Yeah!” Shiro responded.

“Shiro are you okay?” Keith asked after another few moments.

“Something is overriding my controls!” Shiro replied. “My lion is not responding!”

“Isabelle, how about you?” Keith asked.

“Same sort of thing,” Isabelle said. “I…I can still fly my jet, but my head feels like it’s about to split itself in half.”

She was vaguely aware of Shiro crying out as another wave of pain washed over her, throbbing behind her eyes. Isabelle hissed through her teeth, cradling her head in her hands. _Why?_ Isabelle wondered. _What the fuck is going on?_

“Shiro’s in trouble!” Keith exclaimed. “I’m going in!”

_You cannot fight it._ Zarkon’s voice echoed in Isabelle’s mind. _Your connection is weak._ Isabelle groaned, reaching for her controls as the pain subsided suddenly. She gasped for breath again, looking wildly around.

Shiro had been ejected from the Black Lion, and was freefalling through space. He crashed into the side of Zarkon’s ship, cracking the thrusters of his suit and scrambling for purchase to hold onto the ship. Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she leaned on her controls, rushing towards him.

“What do we do now, guys?” Hunk asked. “Our plan isn’t really working out as…well, planned!”

“I’m going for the Black Lion,” Shiro replied. “You guys, get the princess. Now!”

“I’ve identified Allura’s exact location. Uploading the coordinate to you now,” Coran added. “In the meantime, I’ll provide covering fire from out here…all alone…against an entire fleet. So, yeah, do you mind hurrying?”

“How do you think we feel?” Isabelle muttered, tilting her jet into a roll to avoid a laser attack from a nearby cruiser, firing her own lasers back at a group of fighter jets in front of her.

“My jetpack’s damaged, I’ll need to go through the ship,” Shiro said.

“You guys get the princess without me,” Keith said a moment later.

“What? We gotta stick together! What are you doing?” Lance asked.

“Whatever I can,” Keith replied.

Isabelle watched as Keith flew towards Zarkon’s main ship, knocking the Black Lion out of the orbit of the purple tractor beam Zarkon had used to capture it. The Black Lion, unpiloted, spiraled out into space and crashed into the side of Zarkon’s ship. Keith chased after it in the Red Lion.

A figure in red armor landed suddenly on the side of the ship in front of the Black Lion. _Who is that? Why are they here? Is this the person who’s been interfering with Shiro’s connection to the Black Lion and…apparently, to an extent, mine?_ Isabelle wondered.

“Whoa, who is that?” Keith asked.

“That’s Zarkon!” Coran exclaimed. “Keith, Isabelle, get out of there, now! Zarkon is too powerful!”

“This is my chance to put an end to the Galra Empire,” Keith said. “I have to take it!”

“Keith no!” Isabelle yelled.

Keith rushed down towards where Zarkon stood, firing his laser along the side of the ship. There was an explosion when the laser hit Zarkon, and Isabelle grimaced. Once the dust cleared, however, Zarkon stood unharmed. He had, evidently, activated a shield, unnervingly similar to how the paladin’s bayards summoned their weapons, and blocked the laser. The weapon shifted again into a sword, and Zarkon launched a wave of purple energy at Keith, hitting the Red Lion squarely in the side. Keith reeled from the strike, the Red Lion spiraling into space for a few moments before he regained control. _Why does his weapon do that? Is it a bayard? Why does he have any sort of power over the Black Lion?_ Isabelle wondered frantically.

“Isabelle! Do you copy?” Pidge asked suddenly.

“Yes!” Isabelle replied immediately.

“We could use some help over here!” Pidge called. Isabelle swiveled her head away from where Keith and Zarkon fought to see Pidge, Hunk, and Lance attempting to hold off a swarm of fighter jets.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Isabelle said, flying towards them and firing her lasers at the fighter jets. “Hey Lance! Get your ice laser ready.”

“What for, Captain?” Lance asked. Isabelle turned off her invisibility cloaking long enough for several fighter jets to see her firing on them, and turned it back on when they saw her, turning and racing towards Lance.

“Oh! I see!” Lance yelled. Isabelle dipped her jet into a nosedive as Lance fired his ice laser, freezing and destroying the group of fighter jets. “Nice one!”

“Guys! This is it! The princess is in this part of the ship!” Hunk called suddenly.

“How do we get in?” Lance asked.

“Maybe I can try hacking one of their cargo bays,” Pidge suggested.

“We don’t have time for that!” Hunk exclaimed.

“Do you have a better idea?” Pidge asked.

“Actually, yes, I do,” Hunk replied. Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

“Hunk, what are you—” Isabelle was cut off as Hunk suddenly flew directly into the side of Zarkon’s ship. The Yellow Lion’s head broke through the side, the air inside the ship being sucked through the gaps in the hole. Hunk, Isabelle guessed, had gotten out to go find Allura. “Well, that’s one way to do it.”

“Yeah, and it looks like we’ve got to cover Hunk’s butt,” Lance commented as more fighter jets converged on them. Isabelle made a face, flexing her fingers and adjusting her grip on her controls.

“Hunk, did you get the princess?” Lance asked after a moment.

“Yeah, I got her, but there’s a change of plans,” Hunk replied.

Off to Isabelle’s left, a section of one of the rings around Zarkon’s ship exploded. Isabelle whirled her head to look, and saw Keith and Zarkon still battling on the other side of the ship near the Black Lion. She grimaced, watching them for a moment, only startled back to herself when a laser attack from a nearby fighter jet blaster just past her right wing. Isabelle swore, diving to avoid another laser beam.

“Keith, get out of there!” Coran called. “Keith do you copy? You don’t know what you’re dealing with! He—he’s too powerful! Listen to me, it’s imperative that you don’t engage—Did he just hang up on me?”

“I think he did, Coran,” Isabelle commented. Coran groaned slightly, grumbling under his breath.

Another blast from Keith’s laser hit another section of the rings around Zarkon’s main ship, setting off a series of explosions that blew a section of the ring away completely. Suddenly, the Black Lion reappeared, swooping down into the fight between Zarkon and Keith and firing a laser beam at Zarkon. Isabelle let out a shocked, disbelieving laugh.

“I got you buddy,” Shiro said, and scooped up the Red Lion. “Everyone, regroup at the castle!”

Isabelle nodded, rushing back towards the castle, landing in the hangar with Shiro and Keith. _What the fuck happened out there? Why was Zarkon able to do that with the Black Lion? And why does he have the same sort of shapeshifting weapon the bayards are?_ Isabelle wondered, pulling her helmet off and leaning back in her chair. _Wait…Allura said the black bayard was lost with its original paladin._ She froze, a shiver running down her spine. _Was Zarkon the original Black Paladin? And if he was why would Allura and Coran keep that from us?_

“Alright paladins, time to get out of here,” Allura said via comms.

“Hello, what’s going on? I don’t see a wormhole?” Hunk asked.

“The Galra barrier is jamming our ability to create one!” Coran replied. “They have us completely surrounded!”

Isabelle groaned in frustration, anger flaring in her chest as she stared down oncoming fighter jets and a fresh fleet of battle cruisers. The purple barrier surrounding Zarkon’s main ship flickered suddenly, dissipating. Isabelle’s eyes widened.

“What just happened?” Pidge asked.

“Who cares?” Hunk replied. “Wormhole!”

The familiar feeling of nausea that accompanied a wormhole jump washed over Isabelle, and she grimaced. Something felt wrong, however, and the castle shook violently. Isabelle jolted, catching herself on her hands as she leaned against her dashboard.

“Coran, what’s happening?” Shiro asked.

“The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised!” Coran exclaimed. “It’s breaking down!”

“What does that mean?” Lance asked.

“It means we have no control over where we’re headed!” Coran replied.

_It means we’re fucked!_ Isabelle thought, reaching for her helmet to put back on. She groaned slightly as the castle continued to shake. Isabelle’s jet lifted off the ground as the shaking continued, and the docking bay door shook itself unlocked. Near her, Shiro and Keith had also been thrown into the air, and the three of them were pulled through the bay door and sent tumbling into space. Isabelle vaguely registered the same happening to the other paladins. Her vision swam with black and purple streaks as she was thrown out of the wormhole in the same direction as Shiro and Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. We finally got to the end of Season 1 y'all! I'm so hyped and I want to thank all of you who are reading! I'm very excited about what's to come in the next seasons. 
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

The wormhole spat Keith, Shiro, and Isabelle out on a bleak, gray, and cloudy planet. Isabelle groaned, still feeling slightly nauseous, as alarms blared on her screen. Her jet spiraled towards the rocky surface of the planet as she struggled to reboot the system and regain flight control. The system finally rebooted, but Isabelle did not have enough time to stop herself from crashing, only slow the fall to prevent too much damage. Her head was thrown back against the back of her chair with the impact, and she sword under her breath as her head, black spots flickering and widening across her field of vision until she blacked out.

Isabelle groaned slightly at the dull, throbbing pain at the back of her head as she came to again. Several alarms beeped at her as she booted up her jet’s dashboard again, systems or parts that were damaged. Isabelle made a face. _Well, I guess it’s a good thing everyone learns some basic mechanic stuff at the Garrison. I’ll have to…fix this, somehow. Or try to, until we get back to the castle,_ she thought, adjusting her helmet and opening the door of the jet to see if she could work on any of the damage.

Two streams of smoke and clouds of dusty debris rose off in the distance, which Isabelle guessed were where Keith and Shiro had landed. Fortunately, miraculously, there did not seem to be much damage that Isabelle noted either on her dashboard alarms or on the jet itself when she looked. The Galra systems of her jet were only somewhat similar to what she had worked with on Earth; but even so, any repairs she had to make did not take long. Isabelle sighed deeply and stood up once she finished, surveying the bleak and rocky terrain of the planet they had landed on.

“Shiro? Keith? Can you hear me? Are you there?” Isabelle called hesitantly into her radio comms. She heard only static in response and frowned.

“Shiro? Are you there? Answer me!” Keith’s voice came a moment later, though staticky.

“Keith, I’m here,” Shiro replied.

“Can you guys hear me?” Isabelle asked.

“Yeah, yeah we can, Isabelle,” Shiro replied. He cut off after a moment, groaning. “I’m here, I’m okay.”

“That didn’t sound okay,” Isabelle said.

She made a face, swinging back through the door of her jet, rebooting it once again. Isabelle pulled up a map on her dashboard, scanning the area where she had seen the smoke clouds earlier, smiling to herself when she was able to hone in on the Red and Black Lions.

“Shiro! You made it,” Keith said over comms.

“It takes more than a glowing alien wound, a fall from the upper atmosphere, and crashing into a hard pan surface at what I’m guessing is about 25 meters per second squared to get rid of me,” Shiro said flatly.

“Apparently,” Isabelle added dryly. _Glowing alien wound? I knew he didn’t sound alright. Dammit Shiro, what happened to you?_ She wondered.

“How are you?” Shiro asked.

“Not good,” Keith replied. “My lion’s busted.”

“I had to fix a couple of minor things on my jet, but I didn’t quite pass out on the way down so I was able to control my crash a little,” Isabelle said.

“Wait, what wound, Shiro?” Keith asked.

“That’s what I was wondering,” Isabelle muttered.

“It’s nothing,” Shiro replied, though he groaned in pain again a moment later. _Bullshit,_ Isabelle thought.

“Hang on, I’m coming,” Keith said.

“As soon as I get my jet back in the air, I’m coming too,” Isabelle added.

“On second thought, you’d better hurry,” Shiro whispered a moment later, an edge of something like panic in his voice.

“On my way,” Isabelle replied immediately, hovering her jet above the ground, carefully weaving her way out of the small, rocky valley she had landed in. _Something happened,_ she thought. _He’s in trouble._

“What happened?” Keith asked.

“There’s several creatures,” Shiro said quietly. “Large, gray, and almost lizard-like, with long curved tusks coming from the bottom jaw.”

_“Carajo,”_ Isabelle muttered under her breath, making a face. She leaned into the controls, urging her jet faster towards where she had locked onto Shiro’s position.

“Keith are you okay?” Shiro asked suddenly.

“Minor delay, but I’m on my way. How are you?” Keith replied.

“I’m alright, but I’m trapped in a cave, and those nasty looking creatures have me cornered,” Shiro said.

“Stay put. I’m almost there,” Isabelle replied, glancing down at the rocky ground as she flew.

“So am I. I just have to…figure this out,” Keith replied.

The Black Lion had landed in a canyon, that much Isabelle could see from the locked location on the map and the large canyon she hovered over. However, there were thick clouds of fog lingering above the canyon, and she could not see how deep it was, what was inside, or if Keith were standing somewhere at the edge. She frowned, but rolled her shoulders and carefully hovered into the canyon, scanning the rocky walls for any of the creatures Shiro mentioned, or the entrance to the cave where he might be.

“Patience yields focus,” Keith murmured after a few minutes.

“That really stayed with you, didn’t it?” Shiro replied.

“You’ve given me some good advice,” Keith said. “If it wasn’t for you, my life would have been a lot different.”

“Yeah. You wouldn’t have crashed a flying lion on an alien planet and stuck with little hope of rescue,” Shiro said. “So…you’re welcome.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. We’re going to get through this,” Isabelle said as she reached the bottom of the canyon.

The Black Lion was there, where Shiro had apparently crashed. Nearby, along one of the walls, several creatures crowded a small gap in the rock. They were just as Shiro described; large, grey-ish in color, with long curved tusks, and four beady red eyes each. Isabelle grimaced.

“Keith? Keith!” Shiro called as Keith groaned over the comms.

“Hang on, I’m on my way,” Keith replied.

“Good, because these guys just started digging,” Shiro said.

“Hang on, I’m here,” Isabelle called. “Just got here, I see them.”

Isabelle scanned the canyon for a moment, before making a face and firing a laser towards the far end, away from Shiro and the Black Lion. The creatures paused their digging, whirling towards the sound and chattering in low, growling noises.

“Shiro!” Keith called. “I have a visual on the Black Lion!”

“Welcome to the party,” Isabelle replied, slightly sarcastic.

The creatures had, apparently, gotten bored of Isabelle’s distraction and returned to digging Shiro out of his cave. One of them suddenly tossed its head back, and Isabelle cursed under her breath as Shiro was thrown up in the air before landing hard in a circle of the creatures.

“Shiro,” Isabelle said seriously, hands straying towards the laser controls of her jet. “Duck.”

“Copy,” Shiro replied.

Isabelle fired her lasers at one of the creatures, causing it to shriek and back away, wounded. Isabelle continued to fire, and Shiro fended off one of them with his Galra-weaponized arm. He stumbled, however, one hand clutching his side, and Isabelle pursed her lips. _That wound already looks bad. This can’t be helping it,_ she thought. One of the other creatures rammed into Shiro, knocking him down a short cliff and throwing his helmet off.

“Shiro!” Isabelle yelled.

“Shiro, what happened?” Keith asked.

The creatures leapt after Shiro, and Isabelle fired her lasers at them again. Another one fell away, wounded. Three, however, continued to chase Shiro at the bottom of the canyon. He slashed at one with his hand, but the remaining two slowly stalked in a circle around him. Isabelle was about to fire again when the Black Lion leapt down the short dip in the canyon floor to land in front of Shiro, landing on one of the creatures and batting the last one away with its tail.

“I—Keith? Are you—How are you doing that?” Isabelle asked.

“I…I don’t know,” Keith replied.

“Doesn’t matter right now,” Shiro said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Right,” Isabelle murmured, sighing slightly. “Right. Let’s get out of this canyon, regroup, and see what we can do about fixing the Red Lion, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Keith agreed.

The Red Lion had, apparently, rebooted in the time it took them to fly back to it. The ship hadn’t taken much damage, but it seemed like the fall had knocked out its computer system temporarily. Isabelle parked her jet next to the Black Lion, and Keith helped Shiro off. Between the three of them, they managed to get Shiro to lean against a rock to rest. He still held his side with one hand, the wound still glowing purple. Keith and Isabelle built a fire, and the three sat around it.

“Thanks for saving me,” Shiro said quietly.

“Of course, Shiro, what were we going to do? Leave you?” Isabelle replied.

“You would have done the same for me, for either of us,” Keith added. Isabelle nodded, humming slightly.

“How’s the wound?” Isabelle asked.

“My wound’s great. It’s getting bigger all the time,” Shiro replied. Isabelle scoffed softly, rolling her eyes. _If he weren’t already injured, I might have smacked him for that,_ she thought.

“How is it really?” she insisted.

“Just…trying to lighten the mood,” Shiro replied. Isabelle pursed her lips.

“Hang in there. When Allura and Coran find us, they’ll fix you right up,” Keith said.

“Yeah,” Isabelle said softly. “I can’t imagine they have those Altean healing pods in the castle just to…not use them.”

“Guys…If I don’t make it out of here,” Shiro started. Isabelle made a small, whining sound in the back of her throat.

“Don’t start with that,” she said softly. “You’re not allowed to die on me again.”

“If I don’t make it out of here, I want one of you to lead Voltron,” Shiro said. Isabelle bit her lip, staring at Shiro with a look of concern.

“I’m with Isabelle on this, Shiro. Stop talking like that. You’re gonna make it,” Keith responded, knitting his eyebrows.

Before Shiro could respond, a bright flash of blue lit up the sky. The castle emerged from a wormhole in the sky above them, and Keith stared in confused shock. Isabelle let out a short, disbelieving laugh before pressing one hand to the side of her helmet and opening a radio comm line.

“Can you hear me?” she asked.

“Loud and clear, Isabelle!” Coran replied.

“Can you get down here in a pod? Shiro’s hurt, he needs to get back to the castle right away,” Isabelle said.

“Of course!” Coran exclaimed.

A few moments later, Coran landed on the surface with a pod. Keith helped Shiro to his feet, him and Coran helping situate Shiro before Coran rushed him back to the castle. Keith ran back to the Red Lion, taking off. Isabelle pulled herself back into her jet, moving it to the hangar. As she landed and turned off the jet in the hangar, she felt a tug at the back of her mind, the vague connection she had with the Black Lion. It was insistent, like it was calling her to act.

Isabelle hesitated at the door of the hangar before turning on the jetpack of her suit, hovering back out to where the Black Lion was still on the surface of the rocky planet. She landed, staring up at the Black Lion. She took a deep, shaky breath. The Black Lion’s eyes glowed yellow, and it lowered its head to let Isabelle into the cockpit. Isabelle gasped slightly as the control panel lit up and the Black Lion seemed to rumble approvingly in the back of her mind.

_Okay, I hear you,_ Isabelle thought, smirking slightly as she took off back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“How did you find us?” Isabelle asked once she reached the bridge. Coran and Shiro were down in the infirmary, Shiro in one of the Altean healing pods. Allura stood at the podium, scanning her monitors and trying to find Hunk and Lance. Pidge and Keith stood nearby.

“Oh! See, I landed in a trash nebula. So, I was able to use scrap metal to build a sort of satellite tower that broadcast the Green Lion’s signal out into space, hoping one of you or the Castle would be able to find me,” Pidge explained.

“Coran and I were stuck in a time loop in the wormhole, and were able to escape by locking onto the Green Lion’s signal once we picked up on it. We were unable to locate the other lions, and I had wondered why…” Allura continued absently. “Why had none of the others been able to broadcast to us?”

“Allura—” Keith exclaimed. Isabelle held up a hand, narrowing her eyes at Allura.

“We landed on a barren, rocky, desolate planet with no materials to _build a makeshift satellite tower_. We also had to deal with being separated upon landing, unpredictable geysers of boiling water, and hostile wildlife, all while Shiro was injured and we were trying to save him,” Isabelle said flatly, glaring at Allura. “With all due respect, we had other immediate concerns before you were able to find us.”

“Right. Yes. Well, I—” Allura stammered, looking back to her screen. “Ah! I’ve located an energy beacon!”

“We found Hunk and Lance?” Pidge asked, moving forward to look over Allura’s shoulder at the screen. Keith glanced sidelong at Isabelle, curling his lip slightly and making a face. Isabelle caught his gaze and suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and laugh at the face he made.

“Yes!” Allura exclaimed, pulling up a large map of the planet the beacon was apparently coming from. It looked like the surface was entirely frozen, but a bright yellow beam of energy came from it. “They’re here, on this planet. Our scanners indicate that below the layer of ice, the planet is entirely water, and that there is a complex civilization living there.”

“They must have crashed through the surface and contacted that underwater civilization,” Isabelle said.

“Precisely.” Allura nodded once. “When Coran returns, we can wormhole jump there and get them.”

Coran walked onto the bridge a few minutes later, and all eyes turned to him immediately. He quickly explained that Shiro was stable in a healing pod, and that he should recover in a day or so. Isabelle breathed a deep sigh of relief, running a hand through her hair. _He’s going to be alright. Shiro’s going to be okay,_ she thought, repeating the words in her mind to reassure herself.

Allura and Coran quickly took to the castle’s controls, locking onto the energy beacon from the planet Hunk and Lance had presumably landed on. Isabelle grimaced, fighting back the wave of nausea that always accompanied a wormhole jump. _I’m never going to get used to that,_ she thought once they landed. Pidge immediately took off in the Green Lion, heading to the planet to get Hunk and Lance.

“I see the beacon!” Pidge exclaimed over comms.

Soon, Hunk and Lance were back on the ship. After reuniting and briefing everyone on what had happened when they were separated—Isabelle was certain she would never get the image of travelling through a wormhole with a teenaged incarnation of Coran out of her mind—the group drifted off, presumably to shower, change, and take a short break from everything that had just happened.

Isabelle found the others later in the day in the infirmary, loosely gathered around the Altean healing pod Shiro was in. He looked restless, like he was asleep, but having nightmares. His brow was furrowed, his jaw and his shoulders tense—even more than when he was awake. Every once in a while, a small grunt or groan would escape him. Isabelle pulled a face when she saw him, pulling her jacket tighter around herself. _He’s going to be okay,_ she told herself. _Coran said he’ll be fine._

“Is he okay?” Hunk asked, looking concerned upon seeing Shiro in the healing pod. Isabelle bit her lip against the first thought that came to her mind.

“Sometimes the healing process can cause involuntary brain wave reactions,” Allura explained, looking up from where she had been watching Coran’s screen over his shoulder.

“He looks like he’s having a bad dream,” Hunk said.

“He just got blasted by a space witch and mauled by giant lizards,” Keith said. “What dream could be worse than that?”

_I might wonder if his year or so being held captive by Galra could be worse than that,_ Isabelle thought. _I would sure as hell understand if any or all of it would give him nightmares._

Coran and Allura continued to whisper together, studying Coran’s screen at the podium. Isabelle watched as Shiro continued to groan slightly in his sleep. After a long while he stilled, looking almost peacefully asleep. A few moments after that, he began to stir, slowly waking up, and Hunk, Lance, Pidge, and Keith crowded around the healing pod excitedly.

“Give the man some breathing room, guys!” Isabelle called, laughing slightly at them.

Isabelle stepped forward as the pod opened and Shiro stumbled to his feet. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and he leaned on her as he walked slowly to sit down. Keith hovered nearby, looking worriedly at Shiro.

“How are you feeling?” Keith asked.

“I…I’m alright, thanks Keith,” Shiro replied. “I had this…strange dream. It felt real though, more like a memory…of how I escaped being imprisoned by Zarkon.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Isabelle asked gently.

“Maybe after I’ve had some food, and changed first?” Shiro suggested. Isabelle nodded.

Soon, the whole group was gathered in the dining room. Shiro sat at the head of the table, having changed back into his clothes from Earth. Isabelle sat near him, Keith on her other side. Hunk, Lance, and Pidge sat on the other side of the table, and Coran and Allura stood, hovering behind Shiro’s chair.

“So…tell us about this dream of yours,” Allura said. Shiro made a soft sound, chewing a mouthful of food goo.

“I was…being held prisoner on Zarkon’s main ship,” Shiro said slowly. “There was this one Galra medic who…helped me escape. He knocked out the guards, and said he downloaded a set of coordinates into my arm, that if I survived, I should go there, that the Blade of Marmora were with me. I…I don’t know who that is, or what it means but…”

“If I could get a good look at your arm in the lab, I might be able to find those coordinates,” Pidge offered.

“That might be really helpful, thanks Pidge,” Shiro said quietly.

“I want to know about this Blade of Marmora,” Lance announced. “It sounds pretty cool, like a secret society of rebels or something.” Isabelle snorted a short laugh.

“I mean, it sounds a little ridiculous when you say it like that,” she said. “But…it’s a possibility. If we can get to the coordinates the medic supposedly gave Shiro, we’ll be able to get more information.”

“Hang on!” Allura exclaimed. “I can’t believe a Galra soldier would help Shiro escape. Why would he, unless he was planning to betray him somehow, or use him to track down the Lions?”

Isabelle clenched her jaw, glancing between Shiro and Allura. _Is it so hard to believe citizens of the Galra empire would be opposed to Zarkon?_ She wondered. _That some might have organized a secret way of rebelling, or want to if the opportunity arose? I…cannot believe all these people think and act the same way. I can’t think they all support Zarkon and everything he says or does._

“It would be good to know what those coordinates are either way,” Isabelle said carefully. “Whether someone is working towards the same goals we are or working against us, it would be good to have more information about them.”

“I agree,” Shiro said. “I’d like to think they would be working to help us, but…Let’s head down to the lab and see what we can find with regards to my arm.”

* * *

“I’m not finding any coordinates in here,” Pidge said, looking through the coding of Shiro’s arm on her monitor. They had all gathered in the lab, Shiro and Pidge sitting next to each other, working on Pidge’s machines while the others stood nearby. Shiro’s arm was connected to a glowing blue cord, connected to a large, boxy machine that Pidge had connected her laptop to. “Are you sure this wasn’t just a dream?”

“I’m positive,” Shiro replied firmly. “Someone helped me escape.”

“And he was Galra?” Allura asked.

“Yes,” Shiro said, turning to look up at Allura.

“You know you cannot trust them,” Allura continued. Isabelle bit the inside of her cheek, rolling her eyes slightly. Shiro caught her look and nodded slightly.

“Your father must have trusted them once,” Shiro said sharply. “Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, wasn’t he?”

“That was a long time ago,” Allura replied, looking away. Isabelle raised her eyebrows, her mouth hanging slightly open.

“Wait what?” Lance asked incredulously.

“So Shiro’s right, then? Zarkon was the original Black Paladin. That’s why he was able to interfere with Shiro’s connection to the Black Lion. That’s why he could pull Voltron apart, and why his weapon worked like a bayard—because it _is,_ isn’t it? The Black bayard, that you told us was lost with its paladin. I—” Isabelle cut off, realizing her voice had been steadily rising in volume as she spoke.

“Yeah, you know what? Isabelle’s right,” Keith said. “Didn’t you see how he stole the Black Lion right out from under Shiro too?”

“How could you keep this from us?” Isabelle demanded.

“Why didn’t you just tell us the truth about Zarkon?” Shiro asked.

“I wanted to protect you from the dark history of the paladins, so that you would have a chance to bond with your lions on your own,” Allura said, looking at Shiro with wide, pleading eyes. “You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon.”

“Yeah, well, the Black Lion may have a different take on the matter,” Shiro muttered.

“How does this protect us?” Isabelle asked. “How does not telling us the extent of Zarkon’s power—the extent of the power he could hold over all of us—help us at all?”

“I did not want the history of the past paladins to cloud your judgement, or affect how you saw forming Voltron as a team,” Allura defended. “I was trying to protect you!”

“I think you were trying to protect yourself,” Isabelle snapped, glaring. Allura glared back and Coran opened his mouth to speak when Pidge interrupted.

“Wait a second! I think I see it now. Some repeating numbers in all this Galra code. Let me extract it,” she said, typing rapidly at her laptop. After a moment, she pulled up an image on the large overhead monitor of a star system. “They are coordinates! They lead here, to the Thaldycon system.”

“Then that’s where we’re headed,” Shiro said decisively.

“Shiro, are you sure we can trust this?” Keith asked. “I mean, after all the Galra have done to you…They—they took your arm.”

“It’s worth the risk,” Shiro insisted. “Someone helped me escape, I’m sure of it. And they wanted me to go here. If we can locate some allies in our fight against Zarkon, _especially_ ones from his own side, we might just find a way to take him down.”

“And I’m sure they’ll have much more information about him than we do now,” Isabelle added. “I agree with Shiro. This is…worth the risk.”

“We can check the information, but I do not like this,” Allura said. “The Galra are not to be trusted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Well, this is it. No sign of any activity at all, living or otherwise,” Coran said as the castle landed from a wormhole jump to the Thaldycon system. Clusters of blue and green crystals floated in space as the castle drew closer to the coordinates Pidge had found. They became a thick band of crystals just in front of the castle, forming something like a wall.

“Can we get in there to take a closer look?” Shiro asked.

“I don’t want to bring the castle any closer,” Coran replied. “Those xanthorium chunks contain highly unstable nitrate salts. Even bumping one of them could blow us straight to Wozblay.”

“Are you sure this is right?” Shiro asked.

“These are the coordinates Number Five gave me,” Coran said.

“Hey! My decryption is solid!” Pidge protested.

“And her name is Pidge, not Number Five,” Isabelle added.

“There must be something we’re missing,” Shiro said softly.

“We should get out of here,” Allura said. “We’ve checked it out, but now it’s time to move on.”

“We’ve only just landed,” Isabelle said. “And if the Blade of Marmora is a secret society like Lance thought, whether they’re working for or against Zarkon, I can understand why they might want to have somewhere they’re working hidden and difficult to reach.”

“Isabelle’s right,” Shiro said. “There’s something more to this, I can _feel_ it. I think we should wait.”

Alarms began blaring suddenly, and red warning lights flashed on the bridge. Isabelle startled, looking around. Shiro paused where he was working on the monitor of the Black Paladin’s seat on the bridge, which he and Isabelle had taken to sharing.

“There’s an intruder in the castle!” Coran exclaimed.

“How could someone just sneak aboard the ship?” Lance asked.

_Worry about it later!_ Isabelle thought. _What are we going to do now that they’re here?_ Allura pulled up a holographic screen in front of her at the control panel, searching the castle’s security cameras for the intruder.

“I knew coming here was a mistake!” Allura called. “There he is. Level five.”

“Everyone, suit up,” Shiro ordered.

Isabelle nodded and rushed back to her room. She’d taken to wearing her flight suit leggings and top most of the time, and quickly put on her armor, wrestling her hair into a braid and putting her helmet on as she left the room. She unclipped her bayard from her belt as she ran to level five of the castle.

“I got him!” Lance called via comms.

“Keep eyes on him, Lance,” Shiro said. “We’re all headed to you.”

“Hold it right there!” Lance called.

“Careful! He’s faster than an angry klanmüirl!” Coran said.

Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows as she ran through the halls towards Lance’s position as it appeared on the holographic map in her helmet’s system. _Still don’t know what the fuck a klanm_ _ü_ _irl is but okay!_ She thought, readjusting her grip on her bayards.

“But he can jump like a sprightly globinheffer!” Coran exclaimed.

“Not helpful!” Isabelle said.

“Yeah, this isn’t helping, Coran!” Lance added.

“Well, somebody’s as mad as a wet chüper,” Coran commented. Isabelle let out a short groan of frustration. “Coming your way, Number Five!”

“I got him!” Pidge called after a moment. “Oh, I don’t got him!”

Isabelle let out a slightly hysterical laugh, pushing herself to run faster towards where Pidge, and now Lance, according to her map, were. She rounded a corner and paused, seeing Keith on the map nearby.

“He’s dragging Pidge away!” Coran called.

“Come back here!” Pidge said. The sound of lasers blasting sounded vaguely nearby, and Isabelle whirled her head towards it “I—Hunk!”

“Sorry!” Hunk called.

“Oh, Hunk failed the team, guys,” Coran commented. “It’s up to Keith now!”

“Copy that, I’m ready,” Keith said. Isabelle scanned her map. Keith was nearby, in a corridor parallel to where Isabelle was. She turned and ran in that direction.

“Ooh this is exciting! He’s got a sword!” Coran exclaimed.

“Coran can we please not? It’s really not helping!” Isabelle called, rounding the corner of the hallway where Keith was.

Keith had skidded to a stop at the end of the hall. The intruder was there as well, dressed in dark grey and black armor, wearing a hood over their face with glowing purple eyes and a sword strapped to their back. Keith turned to chase them towards Isabelle, and Pidge was being dragged behind them by her bayard. Isabelle ducked into the hallway she had come from, running a few feet ahead and waiting, ducked behind one of the glowing blue support pillars in the hall. All three of them ran right past Isabelle, and a moment later, Keith and Pidge were sent tumbling into each other and several feet down the hall.

Isabelle draw her blades and ducked out from behind the pillar, slashing at the backs of the intruder’s legs. They hissed, stumbling half a step forward. Isabelle pressed her advantage, slashing again. The intruder drew their sword to block her, parrying her strike and pushing her back. Isabelle lunged forward again, slashing at the intruder’s head with her right sword. They blocked the strike, and Isabelle slashed at their ribs with her left blade. She ducked under the intruder’s arm, behind them, and slashed at their back. The intruder, however, spun quickly enough to block her.

They kicked at the back of Isabelle’s knee while their blades were locked together. Isabelle hissed, dropping to one knee. She ducked under the intruder’s next strike, slashing at his legs. Before she could stand up, the intruder brought his blade down on her, and Isabelle lifted both of hers to block it. Struggling against the stalemate, Isabelle fought to stand, pushing the intruder’s blade up and ducking under his arm. She was in close enough then to side kick him in the ribs, sending him stumbling backwards.

Shiro appeared then, behind the intruder. They whirled to face him, sword in hand and poised to strike. Shiro lifted his robotic Galra hand, glowing purple, to strike at the intruder. The intruder lowered their blade and stepped back. Isabelle, standing to his side, raised her eyebrows. Off to her side, behind the intruder, Lance, Keith, Pidge, and Hunk stood, watching in wide-eyed shock.

The intruder lowered their hood and took off their mask. They were clearly Galra, with pale purple skin and markings on their face in a lighter shade, short, fluffy hair in what Isabelle would almost call a mohawk, thick eyebrows, and glowing yellow eyes. Shiro lowered his hand, staring.

“Ulaz?” Shiro asked.

The intruder had no time to answer. Allura rushed forward, pushing past Shiro, and shoved the intruder against the wall, pinning him there with a hand on his chest.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“Stop! It’s him!” Shiro called, moving to stand next to Allura. “This is the Galra who set me free!”

“You’ve come,” the Galra—Ulaz?—said, his voice deep and raspy.

Allura hummed slightly, letting Ulaz back from the wall only to produce a pair of glowing handcuffs from her from her belt, handcuffing him. She pushed him forward to escort him to the bridge, calling behind her for the others to follow.

“I really don’t think this is necessary,” Shiro said, once Allura had made him sit down in the lounge, the others loosely gathered around him.

“I agree,” Isabelle said. “Shiro said this man helped him, and that he’s supposedly trying to help us. We should at least give him the benefit of the doubt, yeah?”

“I will not have some _quiznacking_ Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!” Allura snapped, glaring first at Shiro and Isabelle, then at Ulaz.

“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already,” Ulaz said, not looking up at them. Isabelle sighed slightly. _There’s no way this goes well,_ she thought.

“Are your Galra threats supposed to win my trust?” Allura asked.

“I’m not trying to win your trust. I’m trying to win a war,” Ulaz replied. “And, because of Shiro, we are closer than we have ever been. Our gamble on you paid off better than we could have ever imagined.” Isabelle glanced at Shiro, raising an eyebrow.

“When you released me, you also mentioned that there were others working with you,” Shiro said. 

“Yes. We are called the Blade of Marmora,” Ulaz replied.

“Uh, others? Are they here?” Hunk asked nervously, folding his hands in front of him.

“Hunk, can you try not to act so scared in front of the chained-up prisoner?” Lance asked. “it makes us seem a little lame.”

“Who I’d argue probably shouldn’t be chained up in the first place since he seems to want to help?” Isabelle added, tilting her head slightly. Allura turned a sharp glare on her, and Isabelle lifted her chin slightly, holding her gaze.

“I am alone on this base,” Ulaz said.

“What is this base you’re talking about?” Allura asked. “Shiro’s coordinates just led us to this wasteland.”

“The base is hidden,” Ulaz said. “Now that I know it is Shiro that has come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead.”

_I fucking knew it,_ Isabelle thought, with no small amount of vicious satisfaction. _Why would a base of an organization clearly fighting against Zarkon have a base of operations somewhere out in the open? It would make no sense, of course it would be hidden._

“Behind all the xanthorium clusters?” Pidge asked.

“No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time,” Ulaz said. Isabelle’s eyes widened.

“Coran, are you hearing this?” Allura asked.

“I am. I’m picking up some kind of anomaly on the screen,” Coran replied via the castle’s PA system. “I suppose it could be a cloaked base.”

“Just fly straight for the center of the xanthorium cluster. You will see,” Ulaz explained.

“You think you’re going to get me to destroy our ship just because you say so?” Allura replied.

“We came out here to find some answers,” Shiro said suddenly. “Are we going to turn back now?”

“You know I trust you, Shiro, but this doesn’t feel right,” Keith said.

“And you know I hate to agree with Keith,” Lance added. “But it’s a big fat ditto for me.”

“Galra could have implanted fake memories from the escape into your head,” Pidge said when Shiro turned to her. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows. _How? And why? They didn’t know he escaped until after he did it?_ Isabelle wondered.

“Oh, come on! That would be so evil, which, of course, they are,” Hunk said. “But they’d have to come up with some molecular level storage unit…which his hand does have. But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct passage to his brain, which…yeah.”

“Ulaz freed me,” Shiro insisted. “Without him we wouldn’t be here. Isabelle, I-I trust your instincts. What does your gut say?”

“I’m with you, Shiro,” Isabelle said. “If you say he freed you, I believe it. This is the first chance we’ve had to get real information about the Galra Empire, and the first chance at having an ally in this fight. We cannot throw that away.”

“Fine,” Allura grumbled. “Slow and steady, Coran. Head for the xanthorium cluster.”

“Yes, princess. Beginning approach,” Coran replied. “Impact imminent in five, four, three, two…” Coran trailed off as the castle seemed to be drawn into a wormhole, or something similar. In any case, the castle did not crash into the xanthorium clusters. “Well, that’s something.”

“What is it?” Allura asked.

“Putting it up on the screens,” Coran replied. The screen in the lounge suddenly showed what looked like a tunnel through space, space dust rushing past and changing color.

“Amazing. They’re folding space,” Pidge said softly, eyes wide with wonder.

“It’s like a space taco,” Hunk said. “Or a space calzone. Or a space-time soup dumpling and we’re the soup. Hey is there a cafeteria on this thing?”

The tunnel opened up suddenly to show a large ship, black and blue with purple glowing lights at intermittent intervals.

“Welcome to the Blade of Marmora Communications Base Thaldycon,” Ulaz said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Welcome to the Blade of Marmora Communications Base Thaldycon,” Ulaz said. He stood after a moment, and all eyes turned back to him. “Now, if you’ll free me, I need to send a message to the leadership. They need to know I’ve made contact with Voltron.”

“Go with him,” Allura said, looking to Shiro. “And keep an eye on him. I’m staying here.”

“Ooh! Can we go?” Hunk asked. 

“I want to see how they make the space pocket!” Pidge exclaimed. Isabelle smiled, snickering slightly at their enthusiasm.

“You guys go ahead,” Lance said. “I’ll hang back and protect the princess.”

“Ugh.” Allura rolled her eyes. Isabelle bit her lip, fighting back a laugh.

“I’ll go with the rest of you, then,” Isabelle said, nodding to Shiro. She glanced back at Ulaz, tilting her head slightly. “If that’s alright with you?”

“Of course,” Ulaz said.

Isabelle and Shiro uncuffed Ulaz, and them, as well as Keith, Pidge, and Hunk, headed down to the hangar. They crowded into the Red Lion, and flew from the castle to the Blade of Marmora outpost.

“This is the gravity generator that creates the space-time fold that hides the station,” Ulaz explained, pointing out the machinery on the station as the Red Lion approached. Pidge and Hunk stared, wide-eyed. “It was created by a reclusive genius engineer named Slav. His technology allows the Blade of Marmora to remain hidden while we work to take down the Galra Empire. Zarkon would do anything to get his hands on this technology.”

“So, there are Galra out there that aren’t loyal to Zarkon?” Keith asked.

_I’m not sure why we’re continually surprised by the idea,_ Isabelle thought. _No group of people, no species, all think and act the same way. Of course, there must be people who disagree with Zarkon. The issue though is it’s likely they’re not allowed to speak freely, and have to leave the empire to work in secret…Like the Blade of Marmora apparently do._

“We thought expanding the Galra Empire would bring stability. We learned too late that a tyrant doesn’t seek stability, only power,” Ulaz replied, setting his jaw and making a face. Isabelle nodded once, glancing away.

Ulaz soon directed Keith towards a docking bay, and the Red Lion landed. The group headed inside, following Ulaz to the bridge of the ship. He stood at the control panel, pulling up multiple diagrams as he began to speak again.

“With our members working on the inside, planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance,” Ulaz said.

“I’ve only been saying something similar for _weeks,”_ Isabelle muttered, glancing at Shiro, who nudged her with his elbow and gave a small smile.

“So, you have agents working within Zarkon’s ranks?” Hunk asked. _Spies. They have spies. Holy shit,_ Isabelle thought, raising an eyebrow

“How do you think you got away from Zarkon in that last fight?” Ulaz countered. “Do you think those shields around Zarkon’s command center went down on their own?”

“One of your agents took them down to let us escape, didn’t they?” Isabelle asked softly, her eyes widening.

“Exactly,” Ulaz said, glancing at her. “We’ve got people risking their lives in this war, just like you.

“If you have people on the inside, can they tell me where my family is?” Pidge asked urgently. “They were taken the same time Shiro was.”

“I knew others from Earth were captured,” Ulaz said. “I never saw them, but I have some records of Galra prisoners here. I can transmit them to your ship.”

“Thank you,” Isabelle said, smiling slightly. Ulaz nodded as he turned back to the screen.

“What’s that weapon you carry?” Keith asked.

“It’s a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries,” Ulaz explained, unsheathing the sword and carefully offering it to Keith to look at. Isabelle looked over Keith’s shoulder at the blade. The handle, as well as the blade itself, were inlaid with a symbol Isabelle did not recognize and was, presumably, a Galran symbol. The symbol glowed blue, and the blade was a dark, blue-gray metal.

“Hmm, nice,” Keith muttered.

Alarms blared suddenly, red light flashing on the bridge. On the overhead screen, the image of the xanthorium clusters outside the time-space pocket appeared, zeroing in on an approaching Galra ship. _How the fuck did they find us?_ Isabelle wondered, grimacing.

“You were tracked!” Ulaz exclaimed.

“What? Us?” Pidge asked.

“If Zarkon knows we’re here, it’s because you ratted us out,” Keith said.

“Not helping, Keith,” Isabelle said firmly. “Let’s take care of this first, figure out what the hell happened afterwards, yeah?”

On the screen, the approaching ship transformed, becoming one that looked like a large head with arms attached. Sections of the ship glowed purple, and Isabelle could see glowing purple pipes that presumably carried quintessence as fuel for the robot from a tank she guessed was on its back.

“It’s another one of Zarkon’s robot…beasts? Ro-beasts!” Hunk exclaimed.

“We have to get back to the ship!” Shiro said.

“Shiro, wait,” Ulaz said, turning to face him. He offered what looked like a thumb drive. “These are instructions on how to reach the Blade of Marmora headquarters. Before you go there, find out how Zarkon is tracking you. If you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we’ve spent centuries building, will be lost.”

“Thank you.” Shiro nodded once, taking the thumb drive. “Thank you, Ulaz. For everything.”

“We really appreciate your help,” Isabelle added. Ulaz looked back and forth between the two of them, giving a small smile.

“It was an honor. And thanks to you, we may finally have a chance to end this war,” Ulaz said. “Now you must go.”

Shiro nodded, and the group rushed back to the docking bay, taking off in the Red Lion and heading back to the castle. One the way, they opened a video chat with the castle, and quickly explained what had happened.

“I knew he cannot be trusted!” Allura exclaimed.

“It wasn’t him!” Isabelle replied.

“Yeah, no, Ulaz didn’t do it,” Shiro added.

“How can you be sure?” Allura demanded.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Coran said. “What should we do?”

“Why can’t we just hide here in the space clam and wait for it to go away?” Hunk asked.

“Everyone, get to you lions, but don’t launch,” Shiro said. “We’ll wait to see what this thing does. I don’t want to risk fighting it if we don’t have to.”

Once they were at the castle, the paladins rushed to their lions, and Isabelle to the docking bay for her jet.

“We should be safe as long as we’re hidden in the space pocket,” Pidge said.

“He’s drawing in the xanthorium clusters,” Coran said, as they watched the video from the bridge as the ro-beast sucked in several xanthorium clusters.

“But why? What for?” Isabelle wondered aloud. A moment later the ro-beast shot a laser beam into the xanthorium clusters, setting off several explosions. Once the explosions stopped, the ro-beast flew directly for the entrance to the space pocket.

“I think he knows we’re here,” Hunk said.

“Hold,” Shiro replied calmly. The ro-beast fired another round of lasers at the entrance to the space pocket.

“Direct hit! He definitely knows we’re here!” Coran exclaimed.

“Get the particle barrier up,” Allura said. The next round of lasers breached the space pocket, glancing off the particle barrier. The ro-beast paused, drawing in more xanthorium clusters, which Isabelle guessed were fueling its lasers.

“He’s readying another attack,” Coran said.

“He’s pulling us in as well,” Allura said as the castle jostled slightly, drawn towards the ro-beast. “Paladins, I think it’s time to launch.”

“Form Voltron!” Shiro called.

Voltron left the space pocket, clashing with the ro-beast and causing its laser to misfire. On Isabelle’s screen, still in a video chat with the bridge, she noticed the xanthorium clusters suddenly visible outside the castle.

“We’re exposed, the space fold has been lowered!” Allura called.

“Well, there goes Ulaz,” Coran commented as Ulaz took off in a smaller ship, similar to a fighter jet.

“I knew we should never trust a Galra,” Allura grumbled.

Isabelle rolled her eyes, taking off from the hangar in her jet. Voltron continued to clash with the ro-beast. She watched Ulaz’s ship on her screen, swearing under her breath when he rounded on her, making to fire. She quickly opened a radio comm line with the ship.

“Don’t shoot! Ulaz, it’s me!” Isabelle called.

“Isabelle?” Ulaz asked. “How are you flying a Galra ship?”

“I…kinda stole it. Pidge reprogrammed, modified, and rebooted it so I could fly. I promise this is not how Zarkon is tracking us,” Isabelle replied.

Ulaz made a noncommittal sound. “Very well. If that it the case, I am impressed with your and Pidge’s ability to work with Galra technology.”

“Thanks,” Isabelle replied, smiling slightly to herself. Ulaz hung up a moment later.

Voltron fired a round of lasers at the ro-beast while Ulaz and Isabelle approached. The ro-beast was knocked backwards and off-balance for a moment before turning to draw in more xanthorium clusters.

“He’s pulling in more ammo!” Pidge exclaimed.

“Move, move, move!” Shiro called as the ro-beast rounded on Voltron, firing its laser. Isabelle grimaced at the blast caused several xanthorium clusters to explode, knocking Voltron out of the cluster field. “Lance, Hunk! Give me full reverse boosters!”

Isabelle wove her way through the xanthorium clusters towards Voltron as they stabilized themselves from the blast. The ro-beast drew in more xanthorium clusters, pulling Voltron towards it as well.

“This thing wants to eat us like we’re a space taco,” Hunk said. Voltron braced themselves, standing against the ro-beast’s mouth as they were drawn close to it, struggling against the beam that tried to suck them in.

“Can’t get free,” Shiro said, his voice strained.

Isabelle tried to target her lasers as she flew through the field of xanthorium clusters. She grimaced, groaning in frustration when she could not find a clear shot to the ro-beast without risking hitting multiple xanthorium clusters if she missed.

“I can’t get a clear shot!” She called over radio comms.

“I’ll make him back off,” Keith said. He formed his knife, stabbing at the ro-beast’s face. It drew back, stopping its beam that pulled them in. The others used the opportunity to pull back, flying away from the ro-beast and back into the xanthorium cluster field. 

“We’ve got to keep some distance between us and that ro-beast!” Shiro called. The ro-beast fired several small lasers at Voltron, setting off another series of explosions that sent them, as well as Isabelle, reeling for a moment.

“It’s trying to pull us in again!” Hunk yelled.

“I’m burning thrusters at full capacity, and it’s not making any difference,” Lance said.

A laser beam struck the robeast suddenly as Voltron was nearly drawn in again, sending them hurtling backwards towards the castle. Isabelle flew towards them, hovering near Voltron.

“Is everyone alright?” Allura asked via comms.

“Alive? Yes. Alright? No,” Lance replied. The ro-beast approached them, targeting its beam at the castle in an attempt to draw it in.

“It’s going for the castle!” Keith exclaimed.

“We need some way to stop its tractor beam,” Pidge said.

“Is there a way to jam it up?” Isabelle asked.

“I’ve got an idea,” Shiro said. “Pidge, form shield. We can use the shield to block the beam.”

Voltron flew at the robeast again, jamming Pidge’s shield against its mouth when it made to draw them in again, striking at the shield to knock the ro-beast backwards.

“We stopped the beam. Now what?” Keith asked.

“Now we go on the offensive,” Shiro said.

“The xanthorium clusters! We can use them!” Pidge exclaimed.

Voltron moved to shove against the shield, pushing the ro-beast back into a large xanthorium cluster, re-forming the shield in Pidge’s arm as the cluster exploded. The ro-beast, however, was unharmed, and fired its laser on Voltron again, forcing them backwards.

“The shield can’t hold this much power!” Pidge exclaimed. Voltron drew back, but was soon caught in the ro-beast’s tractor beam again.

“We might not be strong enough to beat this thing!” Hunk called.

“Hang on!” Ulaz called, opening a radio communication with them.

“Ulaz?” Shiro asked. Isabelle grinned, laughing slightly.

“I’m going to take it down from the inside,” Ulaz said.

“Ulaz no!” Isabelle exclaimed, her smile falling. “You can’t!”

“Ulaz, let us handle this!” Shiro added.

“Voltron is too valuable! The universe needs you,” Ulaz replied. He flew directly into the path of the ro-beast’s tractor beam and was sucked inside. The ro-beast reeled for a moment, but rounded on Voltron.

“Get ready!” Shiro yelled, his voice wavering just slightly, in a way that Isabelle was certain only she caught.

The ro-beast froze suddenly, glowing purple energy crackling along its surface. It opened its mouth to open the tractor beam, but nothing happened. Its arms collapsed into its body suddenly, and the ro-beast shuddered violently.

“Ulaz opened up the space pocket from inside!” Pidge exclaimed. “It’s falling in on itself!”

The ro-beast continued to shudder, shrinking in on itself until—with a bright flash of purple-blue energy—it ceased to exist entirely.

“He did it,” Hunk said softly, sounding awestruck.

“Ulaz saved us,” Keith added.

“He’s…gone,” Shiro said quietly.

Those words hung in the air for a moment. Isabelle nodded, pressing the autopilot button on her jet and pressing her hands to her mouth and swallowing thickly. _He’s gone,_ Isabelle thought. _He sacrificed himself to save us. We barely knew him and he did that for us, for Voltron, so we could end the war._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Isabelle had trouble sleeping that night. She sighed deeply, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and getting up. She wandered the castle, eventually finding herself on the bridge. Shiro was there, wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt and looking more like the Shiro Isabelle knew growing up—the one who stayed up late studying with her, the one she teased about his crush on Loke, and who she believed in during flight training when he doubted himself, and who did the same for her—than he had in weeks. He also looked tired, exhausted in a way that it would take more than sleep to fix. Isabelle frowned, huffing a loose strand of hair away from her face.

“You want to talk about whatever’s bothering you?” Isabelle asked quietly, approaching where Shiro stood, staring out into the slowly moving vastness of space. Shiro turned his head to look at her, the corners of his lips quirking slightly.

“It’s Ulaz…” Shiro trailed off, sighing. “I just…I can’t believe he’s gone. This man who saved me, who made sure I escaped Zarkon, and he’s just…gone.”

“I know,” Isabelle murmured, wrapping an arm around Shiro’s shoulders.

“He sacrificed himself for us,” Shiro said quietly. “He died to save us, to make sure we have a shot at winning this war…And Allura still can’t trust him because he was Galra.” His last words were still quiet, but angry and bitter. Isabelle made a face, and Shiro let out a short laugh. “Yeah, same.”

“I’d like to know how she got to be like this,” Isabelle said quietly. “She went from telling us we had to defeat Zarkon, and being angry at him specifically, to hating all Galra pretty quick.”

“I mean…He did destroy her planet, and he’s trying to take over the universe,” Shiro pointed out.

“I’m not defending Zarkon by any means. You of all people should know that,” Isabelle replied, glancing sharply at Shiro out of the corner of her eye. “But it feels more complicated than that. It feels like Allura has this…deep hatred of the Galra. Coran too. That kind of hate…” Isabelle trailed off, shaking her head. “It’s _learned.”_

“You saying Allura—maybe Alteans in general—were taught to hate the Galra?” Shiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t going to go quite so far,” Isabelle said. “But given what we know of politics just on _Earth_ , and the general vibes of space politics so far…Would you really be surprised? I doubt propaganda is a uniquely human invention, or that Altean politics were quite so smooth and diplomatic as we’ve been led to believe. But no…I was just going to say that we have a word for this on Earth.”

“Are you accusing Allura and Coran of…space racism?” Shiro asked, his eyebrows climbing higher. Isabelle pursed her lips.

“I’m not sure, not yet,” she said. “But…It makes me uneasy that they both seem to group the entirety of the Galra together and conflate all of them with Zarkon. You can’t just…do that to people. Think about how much you’d hate to be associated with any number of politically powerful people on Earth like that.”

“Point taken,” Shiro said after a long moment. “And yeah, it’s kind of worrying me too.”

Isabelle hummed thoughtfully. _Maybe…Maybe we can call it space racism though? As strange as that sounds. Maybe there were larger political forces at play ten thousand years ago. Alfor must have trusted Zarkon once, otherwise he wouldn’t have piloted the Black Lion. But what went wrong? And what happened after that might have made Alteans want to try and save face by hating Zarkon—and by extension the Galra—so vehemently?_ She wondered. 

“Anyway,” Isabelle said, shaking herself from her thoughts. “We’ve gotten way off track.”

“You’d really rather talk about Ulaz?” Shiro gave her a flat look. Isabelle rolled her eyes, nudging Shiro gently.

“Maybe, but…it seems like you need to talk about Ulaz,” Isabelle said gently. Shiro sighed, his shoulders dropping.

“I just can’t believe he’s gone,” Shiro said, voice wavering just slightly. Isabelle wrapped an arm around his shoulders again, and Shiro dropped his head onto her shoulder with a sigh. “Eventually we’ll have to find the Blade of Marmora headquarters.”

“You’re…worried about meeting them?” Isabelle wondered, knitting her eyebrows.

“No,” Shiro said. His voice cracked, and Isabelle turned to see that there were tears in his eyes. “I just don’t want to tell them that Ulaz is dead, that he sacrificed himself for us. I know he had that whole _the mission over everything_ mentality going on, and it seems like the others do too. But…I don’t want to tell the people who really cared about him that he’s _gone._ I can’t do it, Isabelle. And what if this isn’t the last time we have to do it? How many more people will we lose—people we know, people we care about? Isabelle, I can’t—”

Isabelle turned to face Shiro fully, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly, nearly lifting him off his feet. Shiro returned the hug fiercely, and they swayed dangerously for a moment before steadying themselves and each other, Shiro burying his face against Isabelle’s shoulder. He cried, and Isabelle felt tears sting her own eyes, felt her heart twist painfully in her chest.

“It’s okay,” she murmured. “I’m here, I gotchu, we’ll get through this together. Same as we always have.”

“Same as we always have,” Shiro echoed after a long moment, pulling back from the hug just a little. “That’s a fun way of saying we’ve been doing this shit together for what—eleven years now?”

“We’re too old for this shit,” Isabelle said, laughing slightly.

“We’re twenty-five; I’d argue everyone else is too young for this shit,” Shiro pointed out. Isabelle made a face.

“You’d have a point,” she said. “But I don’t think either of us needs _that_ existential crisis tonight.”

“Fair enough,” Shiro replied. “Bed time?”

“You tell me, you’re the one who looks like he hasn’t slept,” Isabelle said, giving Shiro a pointed look.

“Bed time, then,” Shiro said, chuckling softly. “Thanks for being here, Isabelle.”

“What else are best friends for?” Isabelle asked, smiling slightly at Shiro as they left the bridge.

* * *

Later in the day saw Isabelle and all of the paladins helping perform repairs on the ship. They hovered near the hull, and Hunk accessed a maintenance panel in the side of the ship.

“Let’s hurry up with these repairs, Zarkon could be here at any moment,” Shiro said via comms. The panel Hunk was working with opened to reveal a glowing blue column.

“Okay, panel’s off. Now what?” Hunk asked.

Pidge stared, wide-eyed and smiling brightly at the panel. Isabelle gave a small smile, tilting her head slightly as she scanned the column. _Remind me why it was a good idea to send us out here to do these repairs? None of us speak or read Altean…Or really know what’s going on here. We’re not engineers,_ she thought.

“Very simple,” Coran said. “Just loosen the blaxums on the somoflange.”

“Could you be more specific?” Hunk asked flatly, staring in confusion at the foreign writing on the top of the column.

“Sorry, Hunk. He means the poklones on the agroclams,” Allura replied.

“That…doesn’t exactly help, either,” Isabelle said softly.

“Yeah, no, that doesn’t help,” Hunk said.

“Easy, Hunk,” Lance said confidently, nudging Hunk out of the way to look at the column. Isabelle eyed him warily as he began pressing buttons on the screen, twisting a knob to the side of it. “I got this.”

“Do you?” Isabelle wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow. The column suddenly changed to glow a bright red, alarms blaring. Isabelle winced, grimacing at the noise.

“Uh-oh. That can’t be good,” Lance commented.

“No, not the smalters, the poklones!” Allura called.

“No, no! It’s the blaxums!” Coran exclaimed. Isabelle groaned in frustration, looking desperately to Shiro, who shrugged helplessly.

“What are you talking about?” Keith asked.

Pidge drifted over to the column, pushing Lance out of the way. She studied the screen for a moment before quickly moving to press a series of buttons, twisting knobs, and pressing in on a large button at the top of the panel. The column glowed blue again, and the alarms ceased.

“There. Fixed,” Pidge announced. Isabelle huffed a short laugh, smiling at Pidge.

“Well done, Pidge!” Allura called.

“The tech on this ship never ceases to amaze me,” Pidge said, awed. “It’s so mathematically elegant. Its fit is a hundred times more frictionless than any exoskeleton we have on Earth. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s not a sunset, Pidge,” Lance said dryly. Pidge rolled her eyes slightly.

“You’re right. A billion sunsets just happen every day,” Pidge replied, pressing another button so the column receded into the hull of the ship. “Some genius engineer actually built this.” 

“Kinda looks like a big, delicious, curly fry,” Hunk commented.

Hunk sputtered in surprise as a glob of space goo splattered against his helmet. Isabelle looked up as the castle flew into what appeared to be a cluster of the goo. Isabelle glanced at Shiro, who nodded once, summoning his shield. Isabelle did the same, moving around to be back to back with Shiro.

“Alright, we’re prepared for this,” Shiro said.

“Remember your rogue projectile cluster training from the Garrison,” Isabelle added, blocking a flew globs of goo on her shield, curling her lip slightly. To her right, near Shiro, Keith summoned his shield as well.

“Right. First, we need a temporary shelter,” Shiro continued. Lance caught one of the globs in his hand, and the wicked grin that broke across his face was the only warning Isabelle had, crying out wordlessly to him as Lance launched the glob, splattering it across the back of Shiro’s helmet. “I—What?”

“Oh! Sorry, Shiro,” Lance said sheepishly. “I was trying to hit Keith.”

Keith, in response, threw a glob of space goo directly at Lance’s face. “Huh, like that?”

“Squishy asteroid fight!” Hunk yelled, grabbing two of the globs in his hands.

Isabelle smirked, glancing at Shiro. She plucked one of the globs out of space, smearing it across the side of Shiro’s helmet. Shiro grimaced, making an affronted sound, and threw one square at her chest before the two drifted together, nodding once at each other before turning to face the others.

“Come and get me,” Isabelle taunted, dodging a glob Hunk threw at her.

“Ooh, careful what you wish for, Captain!” Lance called, grabbing a glob of goo. “I got one right here with your name on it!” 

Isabelle made to block Lance’s glob, but his throw curved wide, missing her entirely. Isabelle laughed, barely having time to dodge a throw from Keith. She raised an eyebrow and she plucked two globs from space, launching them at Keith and Pidge in quick succession. Pidge ducked, and the glob hit Hunk instead. Hunk grumbled, but was quickly pulled over by Lance, who immediately began to use him as a human shield from a combined attack by Isabelle, Shiro, and Pidge.

“Alright guys, that’s enough,” Shiro said, laughing. Pidge, Hunk, and Lance stopped in their tracks, all three of them turning devious smiled on Shiro before launching a hail of space goo at him. “Oh…oh! Okay, now it’s on!”

Isabelle laughed, spinning and ducking around behind Shiro to be back to back with him. Pidge and Keith both moved around to her side, launching goo at her. Isabelle nudged Shiro with her shoulder, and the two spun. Isabelle braced her shoulder against her shield, spinning the block the space goo with it. Keith made a face at her, Pidge grumbled and redoubled her efforts. The space goo battle raged for a long stretch of time, all of them playfully taunting each other and laughing as they fought.

“I don’t think these are asteroids,” Pidge said finally. “Coran, I’m going to need a containment unit.”

Isabelle whirled her head towards Pidge, raising an eyebrow. She held up a hand, both to signal a ceasefire and to catch the glob Lance had hurled at her. The group paused, turning serious once more as they looked to Pidge.

“Just a tick!” Coran replied. A moment later, Coran sent a containment unit to Pidge, who stuffed one of the globs in it and sent it back to the castle.

“They appear to be some sort of hyper-resilient spore,” Allura said.

“This bioluminescent pulsing doesn’t seem natural,” Pidge commented, studying the way the globs seemed to glow, pulsing with light when they came close to one of them. Isabelle raised an eyebrow. “It appears programmed, I think it’s a code.”

“A code? From who?” Hunk asked.

“I don’t know,” Pidge said. “I mean it makes no sense; you can’t program a spore.”

“If anyone can figure it out, it’s you, Pidge,” Shiro said. Isabelle smiled, nodding her agreement.

“You’re brilliant, Pidge. I know you can figure this out,” she added.

“Before that, everyone needs to come in for decontamination,” Allura said.

With that, the group reentered the castle in a decontamination chamber, where they were thoroughly sprayed with water, soap, and rinsed multiple times. Afterwards, a powerful, wind-tunnel-esque dryer was turned on. Shiro took off his helmet, shaking out his hair in the dryer. Isabelle scoffed a laugh, nudging him with her shoulder. Pidge yelped, and was knocked over by the wind. Once they had been decontaminated, the group went back into the castle proper to change and reconvene on the bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Guys! Come check this out!” Pidge called over the castle’s PA system.

Isabelle looked up from where she had been practicing dancing on the empty training deck, sweeping aside a lock of curly hair where it was falling out of her bun. She pulled on her boots, rushing down to the Green Lion’s hangar, where Pidge had taken to setting up a personal lab to work in. The others soon filtered in, and Pidge ushered them to her workspace, where one of the blobs of space goo they had collected as a sample hovered slightly over a holding device on one of the tables.

“Oh! I’ve seen this experiment before!” Hunk exclaimed, leaning in to look at the space goo. Lance sidled up beside him, staring curiously at the goo as well. “But, question: Why do we need to get electricity from a potato?”

“What? No, no,” Pidge said, looking up from her laptop. “I was able to crack the sporse code.”

“The sporse code?” Isabelle echoed, raising an eyebrow and chuckling slightly.

“I ran the bioluminescent pattern through a variety of code-breaking sequences, including this homemade virtual Turing machine,” Pidge explained, gesturing to the code on her screen. “Of course, I had to make a few tweaks to the original design, because, obviously, there have been several advancements since he designed it. Although, you have to admit, Turing was a shining light in the world of science in an age where far too many still—”

“Pidge!” Keith interrupted, and Pidge startled slightly. “What does it say?”

“Oh, yeah! It says _Under attack. Galra. Help._ And then there are coordinates,” Pidge said.

“Maybe we lead with that next time,” Isabelle added, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a distress signal. Good work, Pidge,” Shiro said. “Get those coordinates into the castle’s navigation system.”

“Once we find out where that distress signal is coming from, be ready to suit up,” Isabelle added, looking around at each of them.

Coran rushed up to the bridge, inputting the coordinates to guide the ship towards the source of the distress signal. Isabelle rushed back to her room, quickly changing into her flight suit and putting on her armor. The Balmeran crystal tiara she had been given sat on a small pillow on top of her dresser, and Isabelle stared at it for a long moment. _The Balmera sees greatness in you; you will change the universe._ The words of Shay’s grandmother on the Balmera echoed in Isabelle’s mind. _I sure hope so,_ she thought, turning to leave the room, joining Coran and the others on the bridge.

“Do we know anything about where that distress signal came from?” Isabelle asked.

“It came from Olkarion, home to the Olkari, a proud class of engineers. They’re builders of vast cities that could change shape at the whim of their creators,” Coran explained.

“They had a seemingly magical ability to manipulate solid metal,” Allura added. “With just a wave of their hands, they could build a computer inside a block of steel.”

“Whoa,” Pidge murmured, staring wide-eyed out the windows as they approached the planet, its atmosphere a dark orange, with an enormous mountain range encircling the planet.

“An Olkari once gave me this,” Coran said, pulling out a small cube with a glowing green band around it. The cube hovered in the air above Coran’s hand.

“What is it?” Lance asked.

“Uh, hello? It’s a floating cube,” Coran said with a laugh. “Oh, this guy. Watch! My name is Coran and I am a gorgeous man.”

The cube beeped for a moment and then replayed a perfect recording of Coran’s words. Isabelle raised her eyebrows slightly. _So, it’s a recording device too? Interesting…_ she thought. Pidge murmured excitedly, gesturing to the cube as it floated in the air.

“Why would a society of literal tech wizards use spores to send a distress signal?” Keith asked.

“Maybe it was a way the Galra couldn’t track them,” Isabelle suggested.

“Who cares? When do we get to see that city?” Pidge asked, whirling around to look at Allura.

“Actually, Pidge, the distress signal isn’t coming from the city,” Allura said. “It’s coming from…the forest.”

On the overhead screen, the image shifted from one of the city, moving deep into the forest of Olkarion. Pidge grumbled softly, looking deflated. Isabelle shook her head slightly, amused. The castle flew around the planet, towards the higher mountains on the far side of the planet. Isabelle could see vast, sprawling forests at the foot of the mountains. The group headed down to the hangars as the castle slowed to hover in the air above the mountains, leaving in the lions to investigate the distress signal.

“Why doesn’t anyone ever send a distress signal from a cool place?” Pidge asked as they flew past the city.

“Because the cool places are the first ones the Galra would check if they were looking for any rebellious groups of Olkari,” Isabelle replied.

“I hate the outdoors,” Pidge continued. “Nothing but sunburn and poison oak!”

“I like it out here,” Keith said, his voice taking on a softer tone Isabelle had never heard from him before. “It’s quiet.”

“Wait—We’ve got incoming!” Isabelle called as she noticed several arrows being fired at them. One arrow stuck to the underside of each of the lions, as well as Isabelle’s jet and began glowing in a pattern reminiscent the code Pidge had found in the spores.

“What was that?” Hunk asked.

“Uh, are we being attacked?” Keith asked.

“I don’t know,” Shiro replied. “But something’s dragging my lion down to the surface.”

“Yeah, something’s pulling Blue down too,” Lance added.

All of them were slowly drawn down towards the surface, through the forest until they reached a clearing where a large group of Olkari were gathered, with multiple large almost robot-like machines. _Or…I think they’re machines,_ Isabelle thought. _They also look…strangely plant-based? Wooden?_

“Are those wooden mech suits?” Hunk asked.

“Are you kidding me? We got taken down by a bunch of tree people!” Lance exclaimed.

Isabelle rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the Olkari. The aliens themselves had light green skin tones, blending in with the forest, and wore clothing in earth toned colors. The group assembled in the clearing bore spears that Isabelle guessed had some of the same magic that had pulled the lions here.

“We come in peace,” Shiro announced over the speakers of the Black Lion.

“We found your distress signal!” Pidge called, and Isabelle whirled around to see Pidge standing atop the Green Lion, holding up a small canister with the spore samples in it.

“Lubos!” The Olkari warriors shouted in unison, raising their arms and cheering.

Isabelle shrugged slightly, exiting her jet while the others climbed out of the Lions. The Olkari led them into the forest, following one woman who wore different, slightly more elaborate clothes than the others, who Isabelle guessed was their leader.

They were led up a winding staircase that looked to have grown from an enormous tree, out to a small balcony. As Isabelle looked out over the balcony, she saw a new city built alongside the forest, buildings that stood seemingly in the air, hugging the trunks of trees, and pathways connecting them that seemed almost extensions of tree branches. Isabelle murmured under her breath in awe, her eyes wide.

“When the Galra attacked, only a few of us escaped the cities,” the Olkari leader explained. “We were forced to flee into the forest.”

“How long have you lived like this?” Shiro asked.

“Many deca-phoebs,” the Olkari leader answered. “But as you can see, our people are resilient. We never stopped evolving. Instead, we adapted our skills to the environment.”

“It’s incredible,” Isabelle murmured, smiling slightly.

The Olkari leader—whose name they learned to be Ryner—led them down the tree to the ground. At the bottom of the tree, a tree trunk grew, encasing a glowing white orb. Pidge smiled brightly and ran over to investigate. One of the Olkari down there traced glowing patterns across a piece of wood, releasing it a moment later. The wooden mech creature looked like a dragonfly, and flew playfully around them, hovering past Pidge’s face. Isabelle laughed as the dragonfly wove itself through her ponytail before flying away.

“Coran was right, Ryner,” Pidge said. “You really are the most incredible engineers in the universe, to be able to switch from working with precision machinery to a bunch of sticks!”

“Nature’s designs are superior to any that we could devise,” Ryner explained, standing next to Shiro and Isabelle.

“No offense, but I’ll take my computer over a tree any day,” Pidge replied.

“You two can talk science later. Let’s assemble Voltron and get rid of these Galra invaders,” Shiro said seriously.

“It’s not that simple, I’m afraid,” Ryner said, turning to face Shiro with worry in her eyes. They were dark brown, but the parts of the eye that were white in humans were dual-toned blue and green in the Olkari. “The Galra have our leader, Lubos. If you attack, who knows what they’ll do to him?”

“Well then, we’ll just have to rescue him,” Shiro replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

Ryner led the group further into the heart of the forest, into a grove of trees with glowing veins running up and down the bark, and large orbs that almost seemed like cocoons hanging from the branches. Large flowers grew on the ground there, glowing red. A few other Olkari, wearing pale orange and white, milled about the grove. Isabelle murmured under her breath as the group walked into the grove. _It’s beautiful,_ she thought, reaching hesitantly out to touch one of the flowers. It glowed a little brighter under her touch, and Isabelle smiled. _But what is this place?_

“Uh, Ryner?” Keith asked, looking around. “Where are we?”

“This is the armory,” Ryner explained. As she spoke, two of the Olkari in the grove reached out for the flowers, the bracelets on their wrists glowing blue. The flowers glowed brightly in response and molded to fit the arms of the Olkari as a sort of laser blaster. One of them fired a few lasers experimentally away from the group.

Isabelle’s eyes went wide with surprise. She glanced sideways to see Hunk, Lance, Keith, and Shiro reacting similarly, murmuring under their breath. Pidge held her hands together over her chest, eyes wide, and smiling brightly.

Ryner smiled at them, and moved to stand at the base of a nearby tree. When she touched the trunk, glowing green geometric lines wound up the tree trunk to one of the branches where the cocoon orbs were. The orb glowed brightly and dropped to the ground right in front of them. Isabelle gasped and jumped back a few steps. Shiro did the same, bringing a hand up to shield his face. The orb cocoon seemed to sprout arms and legs as it landed, standing up and opening a hatch at the top into a cockpit with control panels. _Ooh, so this is how they get the mech suits we saw earlier,_ Isabelle thought.

“Cool!” Lance exclaimed, smiling.

“Uh, can I get one of those?” Keith asked.

“Of course. You can each have one,” Ryner replied, tracing a hand over a large flower. Under her touch, the flower bloomed. Inside were six headbands, made of wood, but with a glowing green stone in the center.

“Now, the key to operating it is understanding that the nanocellulose responds to electrical impulses from the neural pathways connected through this,” Ryner explained, handing each of them one of the headbands. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows, glancing down at the headband before looking back to Ryner, confused.

“Do what now?” Lance asked.

“Mm, makes my tongue itchy,” Hunk commented. Isabelle shot Hunk a worried glance.

“But why would you lick it in the first place?” she asked. Hunk shrugged, humming slightly.

“That’s your interface?” Pidge asked, putting the headband on.

“Of course, all commands need to come as binary coded messages,” Ryner said. Isabelle nodded slowly, putting the headband on carefully.

“So, like this…” Pidge trailed off, walking over to the tree trunk and pressing her palm against the bark. She took a deep breath, as if steadying herself, and a moment later the stone in her headband glowed brighter. Glowing green patterns spread up the tree trunk from her palm, and a mech suit cocoon dropped down in front of her, standing and opening as it had for Ryner.

“Yes! Excellent!” Ryner exclaimed.

“I think mine is just a tree,” Lance commented where he stood near another tree trunk, attempting the same feat.

“You must have a deep connection with nature,” Ryner said to Pidge.

“Not really,” Pidge replied, attempting to climb into the mech suit. Shiro and Isabelle stood nearby. Isabelle nudged him with her shoulder, glancing at Pidge. Shiro nodded. As one, the two of them knelt down and interlaced their fingers, giving Pidge a boost to climb into the mech suit and sit comfortably at the controls. “My allergies and pale skin don’t mix with outdoor living.”

“Pidge is our resident tech expert,” Shiro added.

“Well, that explains it,” Ryner said. “Like the Olkari, you understand that, at the deepest level, trees, metal, you, me…We’re all made up of the same cosmic dust, all arranged by the laws of mathematics.”

“Does this mean I should start gardening?” Pidge asked. Isabelle bit her lip, stifling a laugh.

“It means you’re going to need to give your friends a ride,” Ryner said, amusement in her voice.

Hunk and Lance climbed into Pidge’s mech suit, while Shiro, Isabelle, and Keith went with Ryner. Ryner took off through the forest, Pidge following close behind.

“This way!” Ryner called. “To the edge of the forest! To save our king!”

The mech suits paused at the edge of the forest. The Galra had completely taken over the city, and Isabelle could see numerous other Olkari working there, enslaved, as Ryner scanned the city. There were ships docked on the ground, but Galra and Olkari alike moved quickly about between them, and Isabelle wondered if they were preparing to take off.

“Their headquarters are impenetrable from the ground, but there is one way in; a small opening in the roof. It goes all the way down to an open courtyard,” Ryner said, zooming in on said opening in the roof on her screen. Isabelle nodded, humming quietly.

“That’s quite a drop,” Keith said.

“But there you will have total access to the building,” Ryner countered. “The hard part will be getting onto the roof undetected.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Shiro said, glancing at Isabelle. Isabelle quirked an eyebrow, smirking.

“Hey, hey, what’s that?” Hunk asked as Ryner zoomed in on an enormous cube that many of the Olkari were working on. “Is that part of the building?”

“My Lubos! It can’t be!” Ryner exclaimed.

“Hey! That looks like the cube Coran gave me!” Pidge said, opening a video chat and holding up the small cube Coran had given her earlier. Isabelle glanced at the cube in the video and at the enormous cube in front of the Galra headquarters on Olkarion.

“I haven’t seen one of those in many deca-phoebs. We used to play with them as children. But this…” Ryner trailed off, looking back to the cube in front of the Galra headquarters. “Only King Lubos could have designed one _that_ size.”

“Why would he do that?” Keith asked.

“They must have forced him to reveal his designs and reconstruct it as a weapon,” Ryner replied. “From the looks of it, I’d say it’s almost finished.”

“Then we’ll have to act fast,” Isabelle said. “This just became much more than a rescue mission. We have to stop them from launching that cube as well.”

“Yup, what Isabelle said,” Shiro added, glancing at Isabelle. “Everyone, back to base. I have a plan.”

* * *

The group gathered back in the forest where the Olkari had the lions land. The six of them stood in front of the Black Lion, and Isabelle stood next to Shiro. Other Olkari gathered around, murmuring among themselves curiously, but also worried. Isabelle took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, nodding slightly at Shiro when he glanced at her.

“First, we need to get to the top of that tower,” Shiro said. “Since the Green Lion has stealth capabilities, Pidge, you’re the drop ship. You’ll take Keith, Hunk, Lance, Isabelle, and me to the roof. Then drop back to a safe position. After the drop, we’ll use a sensor to scan the building for any Olkari biorhythms.”

“Then we’ll know where King Lubos is. We’ll get in, get him, and get out, as fast as we can,” Isabelle concluded. “Any questions?”

There was a pause after Isabelle spoke, and she glanced at each of the other paladins. They met her gaze with serious, determined expressions, and Isabelle felt a mixed swell of emotions in her chest. Pride; they had grown so much, learned so much in such a short amount of time. Sadness; they had _had_ to learn, to adapt, to change to a seemingly impossible new set of circumstances. Fear; what if this went wrong? What if they got hurt? Isabelle took a deep breath, steeling herself mentally, and gave a short nod to the others, catching Shiro’s eye.

“Let’s go,” Isabelle said.

The six of them crowded into the Green Lion, and Pidge took off, engaging the invisibility cloaking. They flew back out of the forest, over the headquarters and up to the top of the tower. At her and Shiro’s signal, they jumped.

The tower was hollow, a long tunnel. Isabelle cursed under her breath, diving forward into a flip to balance herself as she fell, engaging her jetpack boosters to slow her fall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the others follow suit. As they landed, Shiro planted a sensor in the ground, near the one sole tree that grew at the bottom of the tower. Hunk and Lance drew their blasters, scanning the area for guards as the sensor scanned the building.

Pidge, back in the Green Lion, gave a short cry of surprise as she located an Olkari biorhythm, sending its coordinates and location to Shiro. Isabelle watched the personal map on the inside of Shiro’s helmet light up, and he turned down a hallway, gesturing the others to follow.

Isabelle took off after him, and the two stopped on either side of an unassuming door. Keith, Lance, and Hunk caught up a moment later, crowding outside the door. Muffled sobbing came from inside, and Shiro used his robotic arm to open the door, quietly hurrying inside.

There was a large, holographic screen inside, playing what Isabelle guessed was a soap opera. Two Olkari were in the room, one dressed in the same uniform they had seen on people enslaved by the Galra, one sitting in a large chair in front of the screen, a tray of food hovering nearby. _Is this King Lubos? He seems quite comfortable here. What gives?_ Isabelle wondered, glancing warily at Shiro. Shiro shrugged one shoulder in response, giving Isabelle a flat look, and Isabelle curled her lip.

“Oh, the betrayal! She loves you!” King Lubos exclaimed, still sobbing. Shiro turned over his shoulder, glancing at the others as if to be sure they were seeing this too. Isabelle nodded curtly.

“King Lubos?” Shiro asked carefully, standing and approaching the chair.

“Yes?” King Lubos replied. “Who are you, the jesters I requested?”

“Uhm, we’re here to, like…rescue you,” Lance said.

King Lubos said nothing, but pressed a button on his chair. Glowing geometric patterns lit up across the room, across the wall next to him. The wall opened suddenly, the lights in the room turned on, and an alarm began blaring.

Several robotic Galra guards and a tall Galra with dark purple skin and a more reptilian appearance than many of the other Galra they had encountered appeared on the other side of the wall. The guards drew their weapons, but the commander strode easily to the front of the ranks, standing near King Lubos. Isabelle cursed under her breath, making a face. _He worked with them. He betrayed his own people and worked with the Galra to enslave them and build that weapon outside._

“You could have just said _No, thanks!_ ” Hunk exclaimed, glaring at King Lubos.

“Looks like someone came to rescue you, Lubos,” the commander said.

“You turned your back on your people to save your own skin?” Shiro asked, his voice quiet and disbelieving as he turned to face King Lubos.

“I’m doing this for my people! They wanted to fight the Galra, but they’re too powerful!” King Lubos exclaimed. “The Galra could destroy us!”

“So, you build weapons for them instead?” Isabelle asked, curling her lip. “You allow them to enslave your people? Let your people believe you’re being held prisoner and tortured, instead of…sitting here watching _telenovelas?”_

“Yeah! What she said!” Lance exclaimed.

“Don’t make me the bad guy! He forced me to do it!” King Lubos argued, gesturing at the Galra commander and turning to fix Isabelle with a glare. Isabelle narrowed her eyes, lifting her chin defiantly.

“Did he force-feed you too?” Lance asked, his voice dripping sarcasm.

“You’re no king,” Keith said. He rushed at King Lubos suddenly. When King Lubos turned away, the enslaved Olkari body-checked him, knocking him backwards into Keith. Keith wrapped an arm around Lubos in a loose chokehold, holding his bayard to King Lubos’ neck.

“Okay, we’re walking out of here! Anyone tries to stop us, and Lubos gets it!” Keith yelled.

“Whoa, K-Keith!” Shiro exclaimed.

“Well that came out of nowhere,” Lance commented.

“La-sai, what are you doing?” King Lubos asked.

“You betrayed our people,” the other Olkari—La-sai, it seemed—said. “I can’t live this lie anymore.”

“You don’t want me to hurt your genius engineer, do you?” Keith asked, turning to look at the Galra commander.

“Oh, be my guest. His work is done. The cube is complete,” the Galra commander replied.

“What? But—but I thought we had a deal!” King Lubos exclaimed. Isabelle bit the inside of her cheek against a bout of dry, bitter laughter.

“Guards!” the commander ordered. “Put them all out of their misery!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Guards!” the commander ordered. “Put them all out of their misery!”

Isabelle shifted her bayards into swords, tightening her grip on them as the robotic sentries took aim at them. At that moment, an explosion blew through the wall and a blue laser beam blasted a clear line between the Galra commander and his troops and Isabelle, Shiro, Hunk, Keith, Lance, and King Lubos. La-sai stumbled with the force of the explosion and fell over sideways.

“You ride is here!” Pidge called from the Green Lion’s PA system.

“Engage the cube! Take down the lion!” The Galra commander ordered. Shiro summoned his shield as the sentries fired on them.

“Come on!” Isabelle called over the noise of the battle, shifting her swords back into bayards and reaching a hand for La-Sai. He took it gratefully and Isabelle hauled him to his feet, ducking her head against the laser-fire from the sentries as the group ran for the hole Pidge had blown in the wall.

Isabelle skittered to a stop at the edge of the floor. Lance and Hunk engaged their jetpacks immediately and took off towards the Green Lion. Keith and Shiro each wrapped an arm around King Lubos and together flew him across the gap. Isabelle bit her lip, glancing at La-Sai before quickly wrapping an arm around La-Sai’s torso, hugging him tightly to her side. La-Sai yelped, throwing his arms—still handcuffed together—over Isabelle’s shoulders as she leapt off the edge of the floor, flying towards the Green Lion. She stumbled slightly as she landed, helping La-Sai disentangle his arms from her and settle him on his feet.

“Cube is operational!” Shiro exclaimed, looking over to the enormous, weaponized cube on the other side of the building. A purple line glowed around its center as it began to hover off the ground. “We’ve got to get back to the other lions and form Voltron!”

“On it!” Pidge replied via comms as they flew into the forest again.

Isabelle hummed quietly, nodding to herself. A moment later a hatch opened at the top of the lion near where the group stood. Lance hopped down first, Hunk going after him. Keith gave King Lubos a sharp nudge towards the hatch with his elbow, and the Olkari carefully shuffled down into the Lion. Keith leapt lightly in afterwards, offering a hand up to help La-Sai. La-Sai leaned against Isabelle for a moment as he lowered himself down, and Keith caught his arms to help him the rest of the way. Shiro and Isabelle shared a look as they stood on top of the Green Lion for a moment before hopping in the hatch as well.

“Where are we going?” King Lubos asked after a moment, looking around at all of them.

“Back into the forest, where the Olkari have taken refuge,” Pidge replied as she flew.

“Those of them who weren’t captured and enslaved when you sold them out to the Galra, that is,” Isabelle added, fixing King Lubos with a glare.

“I did this for my people!” King Lubos exclaimed. “The Galra are too powerful to fight; they would have destroyed us!”

“So, you would let them be enslaved instead?” Isabelle countered, curling her lip. “Whether or not to fight was a choice your people were willing to make, and you took that away from them.”

“I did it to save them! We would have been destroyed and killed,” King Lubos said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I had no other choice! They forced me to do it!”

“You looked pretty comfortable to me,” Keith added.

“You would condemn your entire people to a life of slavery to the Galra, but you wouldn’t even have shared their fate,” Isabelle said, her voice low. She clenched her hands into fists at her side. “You lived away from their suffering, building weapons for the Galra, because you bartered your own people’s lives to save yourself.”

“They thought you were dead,” Keith said after a moment.

“Dead or being tortured and forced to work for the Galra,” Isabelle added. “When we found out you were alive, Ryner sent us to come save you.”

“Ryner is leading them now?” King Lubos asked.

“Yup,” Lance replied, leaning against the wall and glaring at King Lubos. “Can’t imagine what she’ll say when she finds out you’ve betrayed them all.”

“Who are you to say what they would do?” King Lubos demanded. “Who are any of you to judge the decisions I’ve made, what I’ve done to save my people? None of you have dealt with that kind of pressure!”

“I think you’ll find we have,” Shiro said calmly. “We’ve been leaders, teachers, and role models. We’ve had people look up to us to make decisions to keep them _safe_. We’ve had to make those decisions, even before we became Paladins of Voltron.”

“But you’re right,” Isabelle said, glancing at Shiro for a moment before looking back to King Lubos, lifting her chin defiantly at the glare he gave her. “It’s not for us to decide what to do with you now. We’re heading back to your people, they’ll find out for themselves soon enough what you’ve done, and will judge you—or not—according to what they think is best.”

Pidge landed the Green Lion in the forest not long after. The Olkari had all gathered, and Isabelle shifted slightly under their curious, confused stares as she helped La-Sai to the ground. Shiro and Keith both took King Lubos off the ship, and Shiro gave him a none-too-gentle shove towards Ryner when they were safely on the ground. King Lubos stumbled to his knees, and a murmur ran through the assembled crowd.

“What’s going on?” Ryner asked, shocked. Isabelle took her helmet off, huffing a stray curl from her face as her hair sprang free, and curled her lip in disdain, nodding towards King Lubos. _Ask him,_ she thought.

“While your countrymen starved, King Lubos was well taken care of by the Galra,” Shiro explained, his voice tight. “He willingly helped them build that cube. Willingly helped enslave his own people.”

Shocked murmurs ran through the crowd, and not a few whispers of Lubos’ name as the Olkari seemed to absorb what he had done. Shiro stood his ground, but Isabelle saw a clouded, concerned look come into his eyes. He glanced sideways at Isabelle, and she nodded once, stepping forward to speak. 

“I know you’re devastated. This is devastating,” Isabelle said, looking around at the group, locking eyes with Ryner. “But now is not the time to admit defeat. Now is the time to be strong, to summon your courage, and your knowledge, and use your Olkari spirit to fight alongside Voltron and take back your planet!”

Ryner looked between Shiro and Isabelle, and a small smile quirked the corners of her lips. She turned to King Lubos, however, and her gaze hardened. “Lubos! How could you?” she demanded.

“I…I was only trying to—” King Lubos was cut off as Ryner fixed him with a fierce glare, turning away.

“Enough!” Ryner yelled as she faced the rest of the Olkari. “We must free our people!”

A loud cheer went up from the Olkari, one that echoed through the treetops and rumbled in Isabelle’s chest. She grinned, nearly laughing as she watched Ryner instill hope in them once again. She glanced at Shiro, grinned back at her, something determined and slightly vicious in his eyes Isabelle was sure he saw mirrored in her own.

“Alright team, listen up,” Shiro said after another moment, ushering the paladins to gather in front of the lion. “We need a plan of battle, but we have two objectives here. First, we need to figure out a way to take out that cube. And second, we need to free the rest of the Olkari. I want us to form Voltron and go after the cube. I want Isabelle to take her jet and go back towards the Galra base. Gather any intel you can, gum up their systems however you can, and see if you can’t find a way to free those enslaved Olkari.”

“Are you giving me a stealth mission, Shiro?” Isabelle asked, smirking slightly.

“I am,” Shiro said, nodding once.

“Finally,” Isabelle replied. “I might need some help with the rest of that, though.”

Ryner approached the group at this, laying a hand on Isabelle’s shoulder. “We may be able to help with that. The Olkari have long been one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in the universe. With enough of our warriors in what you call mech suits, we may be able to connect to Galra technology, albeit in an unusual way. The Olkari connect to the essence of a thing, and we are all made of the same essence. There must be a way. Let us help you, let us free our people.”

“Are you saying you can mass-hack the Galra’s systems, and force a manual override so your people can escape?” Pidge asked.

“After a manner of speaking, yes,” Ryner replied. “And we will be able to communicate with our own people who are on that base, and they can help us take back the city.”

Isabelle smiled at that. “If we can darken cameras, jam radio frequencies, that sort of thing…We’ll able to organize a mass escape. While your warriors are busy with that, and Voltron is distracting the commander by fighting the cube, I’ll be able to fly into the Galra base, undetected, and get your people out of there. Shiro, what do you think?”

“I think I missed your battle plans, Captain Martinez-Rivera,” Shiro said, smiling.

“What have I told you all about calling me Captain?” Isabelle protested, rolling her eyes and snickering slightly.

“I think you may do with some getting used to it, Captain, if you’re going to spout brilliant battle plans like this,” Pidge added, nudging Isabelle with her elbow.

“Alright time, let’s go to work. We’ve got a weapon to destroy, and people to save,” Shiro said seriously after a moment. “Suit up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Dreamworks, and Netflix, etc. Not me, fam. I don't own it.

“Here, wear this,” Ryner said, handing Isabelle another of the headbands made of vines they had worked with earlier. “It will allow you to communicate with me, and the other Olkari warriors once we block the Galra radio signal.”

“Thank you,” Isabelle replied, taking the headband. She looped it around her arm for a moment as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail before settling the headband on her head. She huffed slightly, twisting a stray curl away from her face and tucking it into the headband.

“It will also identify you to the Olkari who are enslaved by the Galra,” Ryner continued, smiling slightly at Isabelle. “With this, they will know you’re there to help, and that you have our blessing.”

“Thank you. It’s very appreciated,” Isabelle said. “Are you all ready for this?”

“Ready to free our people? To take back our planet and our home from Galra control?” Ryner asked, raising an eyebrow at Isabelle. “Of course, we are.”

The paladins had formed Voltron and left already to face down the cube King Lubos had built for the Galra, leaving Isabelle to assist Ryner with the efforts to take back the city and free the enslaved Olkari. More of the Olkari were warriors than Isabelle thought, and she watched curiously as they worked in the armory, magic and technology intertwined to create wooden blasters and mech suits from the cocoons on the trees. When they were ready, Ryner glanced at Isabelle, nodding once. Isabelle smiled back and rushed for her jet.

“I’ll let you know what there is to see,” Isabelle said, feeling strange talking to herself, but knowing Ryner would hear her.

Isabelle took off in her jet soon after, engaging its cloaking to make herself invisible and impossible to track. She flew up above the trees, knowing the Olkari would be making their way towards the base on the ground. She took a deep breath, adjusting her grip on her controls as she approached the Galra base.

There was the one tall control tower, and several shorter, but larger buildings around it in the base that had been cleared of trees. She flew in a wide circle around the base, noting abundant sentries and security cameras. Isabelle noted, pursing her lips and making a face, that she could see no Olkari on the ground. _They must have all been moved back inside, into cells, after they finished the cube,_ she thought. She hummed quietly, noticing that she could see Voltron in the distance, her teammates, as they fought the cube.

Isabelle focused then on the connection to the Olkari she had through the headband Ryner had given her. It felt something like a buzz, tingling in the back of her mind. A small shiver ran down her spine at the unfamiliar feeling.

“Ryner? Can you hear me?” Isabelle asked aloud, feeling a little strange doing so, but if it made the whole thing work easier, she would do it.

“I can hear you, Isabelle,” Ryner replied a moment later. “What is there to see?”

“Cameras everywhere,” Isabelle said. “You’ll have your hands full if you’re trying to jam them all.”

“I think we can handle it,” Ryner said, and Isabelle could hear the smile in her voice. “Anything else?”

“One watchtower and control center. It’s the tallest building there, probably with the most security and cameras,” Isabelle continued. “A few other buildings, and I’m going to guess they’re holding the rest of your people in one of them, because I cannot see anyone outside on the grounds. It looks like there’s a few outposts around the borders of the base, but that seems to be about it.”

“Excellent work, Isabelle. Thank you,” Ryner said. “When you find the others, bring them outside into the main yard where we saw the cube being worked on. And remember that if you need to use your jet’s radio communication for anything, do so right now before we jam the signals.”

“You got it, Ryner,” Isabelle replied, nodding to herself. “Isabelle, over and out.”

Isabelle tilted the nose of her jet down, flying lower circles around the base, studying the area. She made a note of the yard Ryner had told her to gather the others in once she found them. She picked out the building with the most sentries and Galra soldiers standing guard outside, guessing the enslaved Olkari were being kept in the large two-story building.

Isabelle glanced at the radar on the dashboard of her jet, wondering if she could scan the building and find out for sure. After several minutes of fussing with some of the features of the Galra fighter jet she was unfamiliar with from flying on Earth and hoping the Olkari wouldn’t jam her signal just yet, Isabelle figured out that her jet could pick up heat signatures on her radar, as well as biorhythms. Isabelle smiled to herself, scanning the building in question, nodding once when the radar scan showed clusters of Olkari biorhythms inside.

_Alright Captain, how do we get there?_ Isabelle thought, humming to herself. She glanced around near the prison building, noting that it was near the yard she was meant to meet Ryner at with the rest of the Olkari. _You could land there, and sneak into the building. But how to interface with the technology?_ She wondered, carefully landing her jet in the yard, grinning viciously when she got an alert that she no longer had radio signal.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Isabelle murmured to herself, tucking her ponytail into her helmet as she pulled it on and hopped out of her jet.

Isabelle snuck around the long side of the building, ducking into an alcove when she heard sentries coming. She felt her heart pound in her chest as the robots passed her hiding spot, and when they had she let out a quiet sigh of relief before continuing towards the entrance to the building. The door was set into an alcove, leaving a wall for Isabelle to hide behind before the sentries standing guard at the entrance saw her.

She glanced quickly around the corner again. There were two robotic sentries standing guard; it would be easy enough to fight her way past them. _But how am I getting in?_ Isabelle asked herself, pursing her lips and humming thoughtfully to herself. _Robotic sentries interface with Galra tech. If I subdue the sentries, I could use their robotics to interface with Galra tech and open the doors._

With this plan in mind, Isabelle summoned her bayards, willing one of them to shift into a shield. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, before the rounded the corner, using her shield to block the sentries’ laser fire as she rushed towards them, cutting the legs out from under one with her sword, and slicing through the other’s chest. Once the two sentries fell, Isabelle wrenched the robotic hand from one of them, pressing it to the hand sensor on the door and hoping it would open for her.

The door slid open with a soft, mechanical hum, and Isabelle rushed inside, closing the door behind her. Inside was lit with the same glowing, almost fluorescent, purple lights as all Galra facilities. Prison cells lined the hall Isabelle found herself in, each one with a small blinking light on the door, and she noted what looked like a universal unlock sensor near the top of the hallway.

Isabelle hummed thoughtfully before pressing the robot hand to the sensor at the beginning of the hall. There was a loud buzzing sound, and all the cell doors slid open. Slowly, Olkari began to walk out of the cells, milling in the hall and speaking quietly to each other, confused. A few near the front caught sight of Isabelle, and she smiled slightly, taking her helmet off so they could see her headband. A surprised murmur ran through the crowd.

“Can everyone understand me?” Isabelle asked, raising her voice slightly to be sure she was heard.

“Yes. Yes, we understand you,” one of the nearby Olkari replied. “But who are you? How did you come here?”

“Are the rest of our people safe?” Another asked. “Did they send you?”

A chorus of worried questions and confused murmuring came up from the others. Isabelle bit the inside of her cheek and floundered to answer all of them, her voice lost in the noise. One of the Olkari nearby came to stand next to her, and let out a loud whistle. The crowd hushed and turned towards the sound, and the Olkari nodded to Isabelle.

“Thank you,” Isabelle said softly, before turning to address the crowd. “My name is Isabelle. I am working with the rest of your people, by Ryner who has been leading them in King Lubos’ absence and betrayal, to help free you and to take back the city from the Galra. They are safe, and they are coming to fight to take back control of your great city. My friends—the paladins of Voltron—are fighting against the Galra as we speak. Together, we can root out the Galra from this place, take back your planet and free your people. My question is not _Are you with me?_ My question is _Are you with yourselves, and each other?_ ”

There was silence for a moment, before the Olkari who had helped draw the crowd’s attention nodded, smiling. The others nodded, murmuring among themselves, before someone in the back cheered loudly. Another echoed the cry, saying something in what Isabelle guessed was Olkarion’s native language. The chant that sounded more like a battle cry by the minute rang through the crowd, and Isabelle grinned.

“How did you get in?” Someone asked after a moment. “And how are we getting out?”

Isabelle glanced down at the robot sentry’s arm in her hand, and held it up to be seen. “I think this answers both of those questions.”

Someone laughed, and Isabelle grinned before turning back to the door, opening it with the robot arm before tossing it aside. Ryner and the other warriors in mech suits had gathered outside, and the Olkari who had been enslaved rushed to greet and reunited with friends and family. The one who had helped Isabelle draw the crowd’s attention rushed to Ryner, and Ryner hugged them tightly, pressing her forehead to theirs and murmuring under her breath. Isabelle smiled fondly as she watched, and a moment later the warriors began passing laser blasters to the newly-freed Olkari.

Together, they moved quickly through the city. Many of the buildings were guarded mostly by robotic sentries, who the Olkari took out easily with blasters or with the rest of their technology Isabelle still didn’t quite understand. She had little time to think on it as she ducked behind a mech suit to avoid laser fire from a sentry up in a building. She drew her own blasters, ducking out from behind the mech to shoot, pausing to put her helmet back on and wincing slightly when it caught her hair.

It was a short battle, and it ended definitively when the Galra battle cruiser took off from the main hangar, leaving. The Olkari cheered, some brandishing their blasters at the retreating ship, some standing on fallen sentries or the rooftops of retaken buildings. The Lions landed a moment later, and Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk hopped out, weapons drawn and clearly expecting a fight. Isabelle grinned widely over at them, and she and Ryner approached the group.

“I want to thank you all,” Ryner said to them as Isabelle pulled Shiro into a hug. “You helped us get our home back. And for that, we will never be able to repay you.”

“Just promise me that when it’s time to take the fight to Zarkon, we can count on the Olkari for help,” Shiro said.

“Now, and forever,” Ryner said, and she and Shiro shook hands. Ryner turned to Isabelle after a moment, shaking hands and gripping Isabelle’s forearm as well. “You have a warrior’s spirit, and a kind heart. Without you we would never have freed our people, but also my niece. Voltron has our gratitude and our loyalty, now and forever. But you, Isabelle, you have mine.”

“I’m glad that I was able to help. And thank you, for all that you’ve done for us,” Isabelle replied, smiling. Ryner nodded, squeezing Isabelle’s arm for another moment.

“And you,” Ryner said, turning to face Pidge and laying a hand on her shoulder. “The spirit of the Olkari resides in you. The bond between you and your lion has grown stronger than ever.

“Without you, I never would have been able to unlock my lion’s hidden powers,” Pidge said, glancing back at the Green Lion. _Hidden powers?_ Isabelle wondered, quirking an eyebrow and glancing at Shiro. _Clearly, I’ve missed something. I’ll have to catch up later._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


End file.
